LOS ANGELES — San Diego officials said the city will begin negotiations with the Chargers football team after a citizens' committee provided Mayor Kevin Faulconer with its final report.
"Earlier today I communicated to Chargers owner Dean Spanos that the City/County team and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith are ready to sit down and negotiate," Faulconer said May 18. "I'd like to start by June 1. San Diegans deserve a good and fair deal, and I will not accept or support anything less."
San Diego city leaders have had discussions about building a new stadium for the Chargers for more than a decade.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer formed the nine-member task force in February to look at location and funding for a new stadium. That task force selected Mission Valley, where the team's current stadium is located, as a likely site in March.
The Chargers announced a plan to work jointly with the Oakland Raiders to build a stadium in Carson, near Los Angeles, shortly after the mayor formed the task force.
In March, the mayor, City Council, and San Diego County supervisors also announced an agreement had been struck to work collaboratively and share consulting costs.
"San Diego has come together since we began this path toward a new stadium," Faulconer said.
"We are now ready for another first — beginning formal negotiations with the Chargers," he said.
Faulconer said that if an agreement is reached with the Chargers, San Diegans will have their say in a public vote before anything moves forward.
"When this measure will be on the ballot will be discussed through negotiations with the team," he said. "I am confident that if the team comes to the table with a willingness to work together, we will get this done for the benefit of our community, with protections for taxpayers and for the enjoyment of future generations."
