San Diego’s auditor says the operation of Qualcomm Stadium presents a number of challenges for the city. KPBS reporter Katie Orr says the auditor will present them at today’s city council meeting.
Auditor Eduardo Luna says San Diego doesn’t have a business plan for Qualcomm Stadium, and says oversight of the stadium is lacking.
“What we found was that the stadium operations were not self sustaining, that the stadium required a subsidy of over $10.8 million annually to sustain its operations,” he says.
Luna says the report also found the city’s agreement with San Diego State University to let its football team use Qualcomm is not financially beneficial to the city. And if the Chargers decide to leave the stadium before 2020 San Diego will be left with a $21.4 million bond debt obligation. The auditor is recommending the city develop a business plan for the stadium and look for ways to resolve the operating losses Qualcomm incurs. Luna also recommends the city keep better records so vendors are properly billed and overdue payments are collected.
