If there was any doubt that the Chargers were trying to move from San Diego to Los Angeles, the team’s counsel removed that doubt in a radio interview last night.
Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani confirmed on The Mighty 1090 that the team will file to relocate. Fabiani said the Rams and Raiders are trying to move to Los Angeles, and the Chargers want to stake out Southern California as their turf.
“At this point yes, because there’s no sign that the other team or teams are not going to file,” Fabiani said. “Everyone assumes all three teams will file, and in that case we can’t afford to lose our market in Los Angeles and Orange County. As you know, 25 percent of our season-ticket business comes from those markets. So we have to be able to protect those markets. That’s why as a last resort we went out and created the certain option we now have in Los Angeles. And if everything is moving ahead, we’re not going to be standing on the sidelines and watching everything go by. We’ve got to stay in the game to protect the future of the franchise.”
Fabiani was careful to say there’s still a chance of staying in San Diego, if the people of San Diego take it upon themselves to get a new stadium built through a public initiative.
“I think going forward if there’s a solution here in San Diego, it’s going to have to come from the citizens’ initiative process. It’s pretty clear at this point the city’s leadership doesn’t really listen to anything the Chargers have to say,” Fabiani said.
From all indications, getting a new stadium in San Diego is a long shot. The most likely scenario is that in early 2016, the Chargers will attempt to persuade the league’s other owners to let them move to Los Angeles.