“Dean Spanos wants San Diegans to show him the money, and our coalition is pointing out a few of the things you could buy for $1.8 billion besides a stadium,” said Lani Lutar, a mother of two young children and the former President and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. “Instead of raising taxes to fix our streets, hire more police officers, build more fire stations, or fully fund after-school programs, Measure C would raise taxes to help billionaire Dean Spanos build a stadium. San Diego has more important priorities.”
NEWS COVERAGE
Chargers Will Stay in San Diego, L.A. No Option Former Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said the League will make sure, if push comes to shove, that the the Chargers remain in San Diego, the team’s home since 1961. “San Diego is coveted by the National Football League and the owners,” Smith said. “The League wants a team here. They want them to stay here.” Read the full story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Chargers Value Climbs Past $2B, Forbes says “When the public sees the increase, they become more skeptical of stadium deals,” said Councilmember Chris Cate, one of the leaders of the No Downtown Stadium coalition. “When they see a tax increase and they see the risk to the city, they’re more skeptical when they see that (NFL team) values keep going up.” Read the full story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Stadiums are Bad Investments for Taxpayers. “Authors of the Brookings study say that most professional sports stadiums deliver little economic benefit to the cities where they are based.” Read the full story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Measure C Con: Rich Get Richer in New Stadium Plan “The plan only funds the stadium. The city will be on the hook for parking, traffic and public transportation…This November, stand up for common sense and fiscal responsibility. Vote no on measure C.” Read the full editorial in the Daily Aztec.
Could the Chargers Join the Ranks of the Homeless? “The Chargers are unappealing; they don’t have a national following, and their owning family – the Spanos – have not been good at running the team.” Read the full commentary in Fox & Hounds, a statewide blog covering business and politics.