The Los Angeles Times has been reporting this week that the Chargers may be closer to a move to that area. First, the newspaper reported that the team has hired a sports promotion group to expand the team's marketing in the area. The newspaper pointed to real estate developer Ed Roski's proposal to build a stadium in the City of Industry. Roski could get the National Football League's go-ahead to approach a team this spring. He wants to own one. The Times says that one complication is that Roski owns a Vegas casino he would have to shed. That is a joke; from its earliest days, the NFL has been snug with the gambling profession. Cross-ownership, if concealed, is not a problem, and that's true of other pro sports as well. Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani came closer than he ever has to stating the Chargers are ready to leave: "We're definitely a lot closer to the end of this process than the beginning," Fabiani told the Times, claiming that the team had spent $10 million trying to find a San Diego location. "This is not a process that can go on forever." The Chargers have said they have been looking at Chula Vista. But that city is dead broke. The team also looked at Oceanside. It's not in great shape. Earlier in the decade, the Chargers slapped together a silly plan for Mission Valley that was laughable, points out former councilmember Bruce Henderson. "The Chargers may have spent $10 million paying Fabiani," says Henderson. "That pales by comparison with what they have extracted from the City -- $34 million from the seat guarantee and a $90 million reduction in rent until 2020." Under the contract wangled earlier, the team has a three-month window beginning Sunday to announce it has a new home. It reopens every year; the team has to pay a lease termination fee that decreases over the years.
The Los Angeles Times has been reporting this week that the Chargers may be closer to a move to that area. First, the newspaper reported that the team has hired a sports promotion group to expand the team's marketing in the area. The newspaper pointed to real estate developer Ed Roski's proposal to build a stadium in the City of Industry. Roski could get the National Football League's go-ahead to approach a team this spring. He wants to own one. The Times says that one complication is that Roski owns a Vegas casino he would have to shed. That is a joke; from its earliest days, the NFL has been snug with the gambling profession. Cross-ownership, if concealed, is not a problem, and that's true of other pro sports as well. Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani came closer than he ever has to stating the Chargers are ready to leave: "We're definitely a lot closer to the end of this process than the beginning," Fabiani told the Times, claiming that the team had spent $10 million trying to find a San Diego location. "This is not a process that can go on forever." The Chargers have said they have been looking at Chula Vista. But that city is dead broke. The team also looked at Oceanside. It's not in great shape. Earlier in the decade, the Chargers slapped together a silly plan for Mission Valley that was laughable, points out former councilmember Bruce Henderson. "The Chargers may have spent $10 million paying Fabiani," says Henderson. "That pales by comparison with what they have extracted from the City -- $34 million from the seat guarantee and a $90 million reduction in rent until 2020." Under the contract wangled earlier, the team has a three-month window beginning Sunday to announce it has a new home. It reopens every year; the team has to pay a lease termination fee that decreases over the years.