OUR TOP STORY ON MIDDAY EDITION, IT WAS CALLED A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION. THAT IS HOW MAYOR FAULCONER STATEMENT DESCRIBES TUESDAY'S MEETING WITH THE CHARGES. OUTSIDE OF THAT, NEITHER SIDE IS SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT THE START OF NEGOTIATIONS OVER THE $1.1 BILLION CHARGERES STADIUM PROPOSAL IN MISSION VALLEY. IT MAY BE THAT THE SAN DIEGO TEAM MADE UP OF FAULCONER, SUPERVISOR RON ROBERTS AND CITY ATTORNEY JAN GOLDSMITH AND THE CHARGES REPRESENTED BY OWNER DEAN SPANOS AND ATTORNEY MARK FABIANI, ARE THE ONLY ONES NOT TALKING ABOUT THE STADIUM. AS THESE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE, SAN DIEGO MEDIA AND CHARGERS FANS WILL TRY TO READ ANYTHING THEY CAN FROM THE BITS OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE. NO ONE IS BETTER WITH BITS OF INFORMATION THEN MY TWO GUESTS, LIAM DILLON IS SEEN A REPORTER AND ASSISTANT EDITOR FOR VOICE OF SAN DIEGO. WELCOME TO THE SHOW. GOOD TO BE HERE. J PARIS IN SPORTS TERRACE FOR MIGHTY 1090.COM. WELCOME BACK. THE FIRST IS DESCRIBED AS PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT A VARIETY OF ISSUES AND THEY WILL MEET AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS. WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT? CLEARS THAT UP, DOES NOT. I CAN'T BELIEVE A MORE AMBIGUOUS STATEMENT AND WHY THESE MEETINGS ARE RECORDED, WHY THERE ISN'T A TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED TO THE CITIZENS OF SAN DIEGO AND THE COUNTY IS BEYOND ME. THERE IS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY RIGHT OFF THE BAT, THAT IF YOU WERE SITTING ON THE FENCE, YOU WOULD BE SKEPTICAL, YOU WITH THINK OF BACKROOM DEALS ON GUYS DOING STUFF UNDERCOVER. THEY WANT $600 MILLION! THAT IS AN EXTRA NAMIB GOAL -- ASTRONOMICAL FIGURE WHEN THERE IS POTHOLES AND HIRING COPS AND TEACHERS. THERE'S DIFFERENT FUNDS FOR DIFFERENT MONEY BUT THERE OUGHT TO BE A CITIZEN REPRESENTATIVE IN EVERY MEETING THERE IS. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE, LIAM? REAL ESTATE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN PARTIES TEND TO BE EXEMPT FROM PUBLIC RECORD. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEM TRYING TO HASH SOMETHING OUT NOW, BUT I THINK THE BIGGER THREAT TO TRANSPARENCY IS IF THEY TRIED TO RAM IT THROUGH WITHOUT A PUBLIC VOTE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT AND A LOT OF FOLKS ADVOCATE FOR THAT. THE MAYOR HAS HELD FIRM, BUT YOU HAVE COUNTLESS STEELS INCLUDING IN SAN DIEGO WHERE THEY HAVE TRIED TO FORCE THINGS RELATED TO THE CHARGES IN THE RESULTED IN HORRIBLE DEALS FOR THE CITIZENS. AS LONG AS THERE IS A PUBLIC VOTE, WE WILL GET A CHANCE AND ENOUGH TIME TO GET THE PROPOSAL ONCE IT IS DONE. GOT LEWIS RECENTLY SAID IN AN OPINION PIECE IF THE FIRST MEETING DIDN'T END WITH A STATEMENT FROM THE CHARGERS THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO CONTINUE TALKS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CURRENT STADIUM PROPOSAL, THAT WOULD BE A BAD SIGN. YOU AGREE? YES. THE STATEMENT WAS CERTAINLY MILQUETOAST IS WHAT WE EXPECTED. THE MAYOR REGULARLY SPEAKING, HE IS ON TEAM MILQUETOAST. IS ALWAYS MILQUETOAST. YOU SHOULDN'T EXPECT ANYTHING DIFFERENT. AS HE SAID, THERE WAS AN INDICATION FROM THE CHARGES THAT THEY WANT TO KEEP TALKING AND I GUESS THAT IS ASSIGNED THAT THEY HAVEN'T TOTALLY DISMISSED WHAT IS GOING ON IN SAN DIEGO OR, A POLICE, WANT TO KEEP SAN DIEGO AS A BACKUP PLAN FOR THE VOLUME OF KNEES THEY PUT OUT TEASING ABOUT HOW GREAT THINGS ARE GOING IN CARSON FOR THEM, THAT THEY ARE LAYING WITH THEIR RADIOS. BEFORE WE GET TO CARSON, AND WE WILL GET THERE, JAY,. [LAUGHTER] WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF THE CURRENT STADIUM PLAN THAT YOU THINK THE CHARGERS WOULD OBJECT TO MOST? FOR ONE, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T WANT THE STADIUM TO BE LOCATED IN MISSION VALLEY. THAT IS ONE. WHAT ELSE? YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST ONE. JUST THE OPTICS OF A STADIUM IN MISSION VALLEY COMPARED TO THE OPTICS AND A STADIUM WRAPPED AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER. ALL OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY CAN EMBRACE OR GET A CONTRIBUTION FROM, THAT IS THE BIGGEST STICKING POINT. TWO, THEY DON'T WANT TO STADIUM, THEY WANT -- STADIUMS DO NOT HAVE TO COST $1.2 BILLION, LET'S BE CLEAR. SOME OWNERS WANT TO DRIVE INTO THE STADIUM AND GO TO THE CAR ELEVATOR AND THEIR CAR TAKES THEM UP TO THEIR SUITE. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S AN ARM RAISE. THE INDICATIONS ARE IF THEY DO GOOD DON'T IF THEY GET STADIUM, AND THEY WANT NEIMAN MARCUS NOT WALMART. EVERY OTHER ONE HAS NEIMAN MARCUS, WHY DO WE HAVE TO QUOTE-UNQUOTE SETTLE FOR A WALMART STADIUM? LIAM, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FINANCING PLAN, THAT THEY HAVE COME UP WITH, THE CHARGES WOULD LOOK AT IT AND DISMISSED? FOR ONE THING, WE ARE ASKING THEM FOR $100 MILLION MORE THAN THEY EVER SAID THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY TOWARD A STADIUM. TAKE A STEP BACK. IT'S INTERESTING HOW THE DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN ABOUT WHAT THE CHARGERS WANT, WHAT WE ARE GIVING TO THE CHARGES, BAD FOR THE CHARGES. OUR ANALYSIS OF THIS PLAN WAS ROUGHLY $1 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY THAT LIKELY WOULD BE EXPENDED ON THE STADIUM. IT'S TOUGH FOR ME TO IMAGINE THAT $1 BILLION ISN'T ENOUGH FOR PRIVATE COMPANY. [LAUGHTER] RIGHT. AS YOU SAID, WERE PROBLEMS WITH ROADS, PROBLEMS WITH HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND PROBLEMS IN THE CITY. WE WILL GIVE PUBLIC MONEY OF $1 BILLION. THE QUESTION WHAT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE CHARGES, SEEMS TO BE THE WRONG PLACE TO START THE QUESTION. ONE THING, SPECIFICALLY, CITY DECIDED AS PART OF THIS TASK FORCE PLAN TO GIVE THE CHARGES ALL THE MONEY FOR NAMING RIGHTS. WHEN QUALCOMM STADIUM WAS RENOVATED, THAT MONEY WENT TO THE CITY. NOW, THE TEST CARD SAYS, CHARGES, NO MATTER WHAT IT -- NO MATTER WHAT GETS NAMED IN THE STADIUM, YOU CAN GET THAT MONEY. I THOUGHT IT WAS GENEROUS FOR THE CHARGES. THE NEW DEAL WITH THE NFL, EVERYONE WANTS TO STRIKE A GOOD, FAIR, HONEST TO DEAL. THAT'S NOT HOW THESE GUYS OPERATE. YOU CAN ASK FOR ANYTHING, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT TO THEM. THE NFL WILL SQUEEZE EVERY NICKEL OUT OF A CITY, A MUNICIPALITY, ANYTHING. THAT IS THEIR MO. I UNDERSTAND IF YOU SPEND $1 BILLION FOR A STADIUM, I UNDERSTAND THE STADIUM IS A TOURIST TOWN AND THE TEMPLATE OF A BIG PART OF OUR ECONOMY. HOW MUCH ADVERTISING COULD YOU BUY FOR $1 BILLION? THAT IS A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY. YES, I GET IT. IN DECEMBER, WHEN THEY SHOWED THE LAWYER AND THE WAVES LAPPING ON THE SHORE, YOU WANT TO GET IN YOUR CAR AND COME OUT HERE. AT SOME POINT, IT DOESN'T PENCIL OUT AND THE NFL MAY BE GOT EXPENSIVE FOR US AND AT SOME POINT, IT'S NOT ME IT IS YOU. LET'S MOVE TO CARSON, AS I SAID, THE CHARGES ALTERNATE STADIUM PLAN, $1.7 BILLION STADIUM COMPLEX THEY WERE CHAIR WITH THE OAKLAND RAIDERS IF THEY MOVE TO CARSON. ONE AREA YOU'VE BEEN PURSUING, THE HIM, AT THE VOICE, IS WENT TO THE CHARGES ACTUALLY START -- WENT TO THE CHARGERS ACTUALLY DEVELOP THIS PLAN WITH CARSON? WE FOUND NEWS OF THE LAWSUIT THIS WEEK REGARDING A FORMER BROKER FOR THE CITY OF CARSON SUING THE CITY SAYING HE WAS DOUBLE DEALT WITH THIS NFL PLAN. INDICATIONS ARE ALLEGATIONS WORK THAT DISCUSSION STARTED IN 2013, A LOT EARLIER THAN FOLKS THOUGHT. WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF WHEN THE DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THE LSL -- AND THE NFL TEAMS BEGAN. MADE A REQUEST FOR THAT INFORMATION FROM THE CITY AND THEY TOLD US THERE WAS NOT AN EMAIL OR A TEXT MESSAGE, NOT A MEMO OR ANYTHING IN WRITING BETWEEN THE NFL OR THE TEAMS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CARSON AT ALL, PRIOR TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE STADIUM WAS COMING TO BE. WE FOUND THAT EXTREMELY HARD TO BELIEVE. YOU SUE? WE HAVE SUED THE CITY OF CARSON AND WE FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THERE IS ACTUALLY NOTHING ON PAPER. IT'S FUNNY, THE MAYOR OF CARSON WENT ON RADIO IN LA AND SAID LISTEN, THEN, I DON'T TEXT ROGER GOODELL. HE SAYS THERE'S NOTHING THERE. BUT WE FIND THAT EXTREMELY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE PIECE OF PAPER FROM THE CITY'S ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THE NFL AND WE ARE TRYING TO FORCE THE ISSUE IN COURT. THE BEST EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW, THE REPORT THAT CAME TODAY, IS THAT THESE NEGOTIATIONS, AT LEAST VERBALLY, STARTED WITH CARSON MUCH EARLIER THAN WE THOUGHT. EXACTLY. IS A CLEAR THAT THE CHARGERS AND RAIDERS HAVE PURCHASED THE LAND WHERE THE STADIUM WHEN GO? IT'S MORE CLEAR THEY PURCHASED THE LAND ACROSS THE STREET THAT COULD BE USED FOR PARKING OR A HOTEL OR RETAIL. WE'VE SEEN AN 11-ACRE PLOT, 157-ACRE PLOT. THE 11 ACRES IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE 157. THEY ARE TIPPING THEIR TOE IN THE WATER. EVEN IF THE STADIUM DIDN'T COME TO FRUITION, THESE GUYS ARE REAL ESTATE GUYS AND COULD FLIP THE PROPERTY, WHICH GOES BACK TO THE CHARGES SAYING IT'S 14 YEARS. AT ANY TIME THEY COULD HAVE BUILT THE STADIUM. THESE GENTLEMEN ARE IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS. IF IT IS SUCH A GOOD DEAL, WHY HAVEN'T THEY DONE IT THEMSELVES? WHY AREN'T INVESTORS RUSHING DOWN TO SAN DIEGO TO GET AN EARLY AND GET IN ON THE PROFITS. INSTEAD, CAPITALISM WHEN THE PROFITS COME IN AND SOCIALISM TO BUILD IT. ECONOMISTS HAVE SAID THEY'RE BAD DEALS FOR CITIES. YOU CANNOT MAKE MONEY OFF OF THEM, PERIOD. THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T SEE INVESTORS WANTING A PIECE OF THE PIE AND WHY FOLKS -- TEAMS DON'T BUILD IT THEMSELVES. FOR ALL THE AMENITIES THEY WANT AND RUNNING THE STADIUM, IT HAS BEEN A HUGE DRAIN ON SAN DIEGO'S FINANCES FOR YEARS. 10 OR $12 MILLION. THAT IS A DIFFERENCE. THERE IS PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION, THE DEALS FACTOR OUT AND YOU HAVE GOLDMAN SACHS AND BIG FIRMS IT IS A SMALLER POT. WHEN WE READ THE TEA LEAVES ON THE STADIUM NEGOTIATION, DON'T WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON OAKLAND? BECAUSE IF THE RAIDERS DECIDE TO STAY IN OAKLAND, DOESN'T THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CARSON PLAN? I THINK THE MORE VIABLE PLAN OR MORE REALISTIC PLAN IS THE CHARGES BEING A SECOND TENANT IN ENGLEWOOD. L.A. WANTS TO DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME. THEY'VE GONE 20 YEARS WITHOUT IT AND WANT TO PLANT THE NFL FLAG IN THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. THE RAIDERS, GOD BLESS THEM, I KNOW A BUNCH OF THEIR FANS -- THIS IMAGE THEY FOSTERED OR EMBRACED TO BE THUGS AND TOUGH GUYS AND ALL THAT, I'M NOT SO SURE YOU WANT THAT TEAM COMING IN 10 SUNDAYS A YEAR AND SELLING CONDOS AND RETAIL AND ALL THAT. I THINK THEY WOULD LIKE TO STAY IN OAKLAND BUT YOU COULD MAKE A CASE WHERE THEY GO TO ST. LOUIS IF THEY COME UP WITH THE MONEY AND THE RAIDERS GO THAT WAY. THE MOST INTERESTING ALTERNATIVE AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IS THE RAMS AND THE CHARGER SHARE PLACE IN ENGLEWOOD. IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IT IS NOT JUST CARSON, THERE IS A MOTIVATED OWNER IN ST. LOUIS AND A WEALTHY OWNER IN ST. LOUIS THAT HE IS MARRIED TO A WALMART HEIRESS AND HAS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT IS KNOWN TO MAKE A LOT OF BIG DEALS AND HAS HIS OWN PROJECT IN ENGLEWOOD. YOU NEED TO MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE FOR TWO TEAMS AND THAT'S WHAT HE IS DOING. EVEN IF THE CARSON PLAN WERE TO FALL APART OR THE RAIDERS WERE TO BACK OUT, THE CHARGERS COULD CERTAINLY FIND A WAY TO GET INVOLVED AND GO TO L.A. THROUGH THE ENGLEWOOD PLAN. CARSON, THERE'S BEEN A $20 MILLION INVESTMENT. ENGLEWOOD, $250 MILLION INVESTMENT. THEY ARE TIERING THAT BABY DOWN. I WAS RIGHT NEXT-DOOR AT HOLLYWOOD PARK. THE WRECKING BALL IS ALREADY GOING. NOT ONLY IS HE MOTIVATED TO MOVE, OR HAS A TEAM WITH A TRADITIONAL FAN BASE, HE IS NOT AFRAID OF THE NFL AND HE WILL GO TO COURT AND NOT BLINK, I GUARANTEE YOU. THE CHARGES SAY THEY WANT TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO, BUT BESIDES THAT STATEMENT, WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU SEE, JAY, THAT THEY WANT TO STAY HERE? YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT THEY COULD'VE LEFT HER BETTY AND SAID IMMEDIATELY THEIR FRANCHISE WOULD GO UP $250 MILLION IF THEY MOVED TO L.A., JUST THAT MARKET AND PEOPLE SAY CARSON, THAT IS A DUMP AND ALL THAT. IT'S IRRELEVANT, IT IS THE L.A. MARKET. THEY CAN PLAY ANYWHERE. WHY DO THE ANGELS IN ANAHEIM CALL THEM THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS AND THEY ARE NO CLOSER TO L.A.AT ANY TIME THEY COULD HAVE LEFT AND WHO WANTS TO LEAVE SAN DIEGO? I GET IT, DEAN SPANOS, AND THE FAMILY, THIS IS THEIR LEGACY AND THEY ARE PASSING IT DOWN TO THE KIDS TO RUN. I THINK THEY WOULD LOVE TO DO A DEAL BUT THE ECONOMICS ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH TO PENCIL OUT. LIAM, A RECENT POLL FOUND LESS THAN HALF THE RESPONDENTS THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE CHARGERS TO STAY HERE, WHICH MEANS THAT MORE THAN HALF DON'T CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE ISSUE. IF THE CHARGES LEAVE, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FOLLOWED FOR SAN DIEGO? IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT THAT MIGHT BE. THE BIGGER RISK -- THERE IS AS MUCH RISK OF THE MAYOR GIVING THE CHARGERS TOO MUCH MONEY. THAT IS JUST AS MUCH OF A PROBLEM AND WOULD HURT HIS LEGACY AS MAYOR AND WE STILL TALK ABOUT SUSAN GOLDING AS FAR AS THE PENSION PROBLEMS WHEN SHE WAS MAYOR OF THE CITY. JUST AS MUCH, A HORRIBLE DEAL IN THE MID 90s WITH THE CHARGES AND THE RENOVATIONS. IT WAS A DISASTER FOR THE CITY. HE WOULD BE SEEN AT IS THE MAYOR WHO LOST THE CHARGERS? HE COULD BE OR THE MAYOR WHO [MULTIPLE SPEAKERS] THERE IS RISK ON GIVING THEM TOO MUCH MONEY AND HAVING THEM LEAVING. THERE WAS A STUDY DONE RELATIVELY RECENTLY, AND IF I HAVE THE DETAILS THE STATES AND, I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. BUT, TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE UNDERSTANDING WAS THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE POLITICAL FALLOUT FOR ANY MAYOR FROM A TEAM WHO LEFT THE CITY. I THINK THERE'S RISKS EITHER WAY. WHEN IT COMES TO FOLLOW, KAPOK A LOT OF PEOPLE SAVE USING AN NFL TEAM MAKES SAN DIEGO A SECOND-CLASS STATE. YOU CAN LOOK TO L.A. FOR THAT EXAMPLE THESE LAST 20 YEARS. NOBODY GOES TO L.A. ANYMORE. THE TUMBLEWEEDS, LET'S BE CLEAR. I WANT THE CHARGERS TO STAY. I WANT THE CHARGERS TO STAY. THE PEOPLE WILL RUN TO THE BRIDGE AND WANT TO HAVE THINGS TO DO AND IT IS A COMPLETE DISASTER, THAT IS A BIT OVERPLAYED. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT NUMBERS, YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT 1% OF THE CHARGER FANS GO TO THE GAME SO WERE SPENDING -- YOU ARE SPENDING AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF MONEY AND 1% OF THE PEOPLE GO. WE ARE NOT TALKING WITH THE TICKET PRICES WILL BE, WERE TALKING SURCHARGES ON THE STADIUM PLAN AND IT IS $100 TO SIT UPSTAIRS. LOAD UP THE KIDS AND TAKE THE FAMILY'S, BY A FEW BEERS AND A HOT TUB, IT IS A $600 DAY. THAT IS OUT OF MY LEAGUE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW. IF YOU CAN GET IT, THAT IS THE MARKET. OKAY. WE HAD ONE MEETING AND WE WILL SEE OTHER MEETINGS AND THEY WILL BE IN PRIVATE AND WE ARE NOT EVEN TOLD WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO BE. ARE THERE SIGNS THAT WE SHOULD LOOK FOR? ANYWHERE? ABOUT WHAT MIGHT COME OUT OF THESE MEETINGS THAT WOULD .1 WAY OR THE OTHER, LIAM? IT IS WHETHER THEY CONTINUE TO ENGAGE OR NOT. THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE. IT WILL SAVE VERY MILQUETOAST THINGS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE MAYOR DOESN'T PROBABLY ANY MAYOR WOULD DO IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE. TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE TEA LEAVES ON THE CHARGERS SIDE, WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS EVERY TIME THERE'S AN AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF SOMETHING IN SAN DIEGO, THE CHARGER SHOW THEIR MOVING THE BALL FORWARD AND CARSON. WE ALREADY HAVE THEM TALKING ABOUT AMASSING A JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY TO RUN THE STADIUM AND LAST TIME WHEN THE CHARGERS -- WHEN THE CITY TASK FORCE PROPOSAL CAME OUT, THE CHARGERS ANNOUNCED THAT DAY OR SOON AFTER THEY WERE HIRING A CONSULTANT IN LA. THIS IS WHAT WE SEE. WHETHER THAT IS A LEVERAGE PLAY LIKE IT HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS FOR CITIES NEAR L.A., OR LEGITIMATE AND SIGN SOMETHING IS HAPPENING, IT IS STILL UNCLEAR. I WANT TO THINK ABOUT. LIAM DILLON WITH VOICE OF SAN DIEGO AND THEY PARIS, SPORTS COLUMNIST FROM MIGHTY 1090.COM. THANK YOU BOTH.
Negotiations between the Chargers and city and county officials over a new stadium in San Diego began Tuesday, but participants on both sides were tight-lipped about what took place.
"Today we and our negotiating team met with Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos and his advisor Mark Fabiani for more than an hour," Mayor Kevin Faulconer and county Supervisor Ron Roberts said in a joint statement. "It was a productive discussion on a variety of issues, and both parties agreed to meet again within the next several days."
Spanos told NBC7/39 that it was "just the first meeting."
Fabiani declined to comment on the meeting but said the city of Carson will continue moving forward the Chargers' backup plan of a joint stadium with the Raiders near Los Angeles.
"The City of Carson will be forming a Stadium Authority. The Stadium Authority will then be authorized to hire the personnel and retain the outside experts necessary to implement the project," he said in an email to KPBS.
The talks come about two weeks after an advisory group appointed by Faulconer issued the framework of a financing plan that would raise $1.4 billion toward stadium construction costs. The nine-member task force estimated a price tag of around $1.1 billion, leaving some wiggle room for discussions among the officials.
The Chargers have been pushing for a new playing facility for nearly 15 years to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium. The team recently purchased 157 acres in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson jointly with the Oakland Raiders, where they've proposed building a $1.7 billion, 72,000-seat stadium in case the National Football League franchises fail to achieve acceptable deals in their current cities.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday that the two teams, rivals on the field, also jointly purchased an 11-acre lot across Del Amo Boulevard from the main Carson property for $22 million. The land could be used for parking, or possibly a hotel or other development.
The Chargers Stadium Advisory Group recommended building a 65,000-seat facility in Mission Valley adjacent to Qualcomm Stadium, which would eventually be razed to make the land available to a developer. The new stadium would also be the home of San Diego State University's football team and be used for the Holiday and Poinsettia bowls, high school championships and special events.
The project would also include creation of a park running along the San Diego River.
The city and county of San Diego have each set aside $250,000 to pay experts — the legal firm Nixon Peabody, which has consulted on 25 stadium projects, and Citigroup, which has been involved in raising money to build stadiums recently in Atlanta, New York and Orlando.
Their goal is an agreement that would pass muster with voters in an election. The CSAG framework does not include a tax increase that triggers a requirement for a vote, but both the mayor and team officials have said they want the public to validate their plans if a deal is reached.
