San Diego city and county leaders want a Chargers stadium proposal on a special, citywide ballot by the end of the year, Mayor Kevin Faucloner announced Monday.
This was the first public update made since negotiations between municipal officials and Chargers representatives started last Tuesday. They wrapped up their second day of closed-door talks Monday, discussing a framework for a possible vote.
Faulconer said if the negotiations are successful, the city council can call a special election on December 15.
"We can get a new stadium approved this year if we work together to get this done," said Faulconer.
The mayor cited two reasons for bringing the issue to a public vote. The first, he said, was because a project of this size — and cost — should be ratified by the people.
If that initiative is approved, a vote will also provide more certainty because it's not subject to referendum challenges, unlike a city council vote.
According to Faulconer, a third meeting between Chargers and government officials should happen in the coming days, with many more to come before their self-imposed December deadline.
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“We believe that if there is a will on both sides, although we’ll have to work really hard and work every day on it, an agreement can be negotiated within that time frame," said City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.
The negotiations’ foundation is built, in part, on the financing plan recommended by the mayor’s Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG), which wants to redevelop the current Qualcomm Stadium site in Mission Valley. However, the Chargers have made it no secret that they prefer a joint stadium-convention center in East Village.
Faulconer told the media Monday that they have not discussed a location, but they did talk about legal and land use issues.
For nearly two years, the team has been laying groundwork for an alternate project in the city of Carson in the Los Angeles area. Developers were forced to hit fast-forward on that proposal when St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced he had bought up a plot of land in Inglewood to possibly relocate his team.
