Chargers Could Bolt to Escondido

The Chargers are eyeing a new city for a new stadium

The Chargers are adding Escondido to their short list of local cities where they might build a new stadium, according to a published report.

Team officials told the North County Times that they have been quietly crunching numbers and exploring potential sites in the city for several months. The Bolts said they like the city because it's on the Sprinter rail line and has freeways that provide easy access to San Diego, coastal North County and Riverside County. City officials are eyeing a 30- to 60-acre industrial area near Interstate 15 and state Route 78 interchange, which is where the city's swap meet currently resides.

Mark Fabiani, the team's general counsel, said Escondido also lacks the wide variety of hurdles that have prevented the team from replacing Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley or building a new stadium in Oceanside, Chula Vista or National City.

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, who recently met with Fabiani about the possible stadium, told the paper that city officials will do everything they can to land the Chargers. But she also said financial support from the private sector would be crucial to the ancillary development.

"Somebody needs to come in with a boatload of cash," Pfeiler told the North County Times.

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