The Chargers want to stay in San Diego, in a new stadium that will cost $1 billion. And they want a hotel tax to provide $350 million of that.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers’ plan for a new stadium would entail the team and the NFL paying $650 million, and a 4 percent increase in the hotel tax to provide the other $350 million for the total $1 billion cost of a new stadium.
Under the proposal, the Chargers would keep game-day revenue and sign a lease of at least 30 years, while San Diego would get revenues from other events that take place at the stadium.
By the standards of new NFL stadiums, that’s a fairly good deal for the community: Usually it’s the taxpayers who foot the bulk of the bill, whereas in this case the taxpayers (out-of-town taxpayers visiting and staying in hotels) will only pay about one-third of the costs.
However, there seems to be a strong sentiment in San Diego that the taxpayers shouldn’t pay anything. And if San Diego doesn’t agree with the $350 million hotel tax hike, this plan is going nowhere. In that scenario the Chargers would be going somewhere, likely north to share a stadium with the Rams in Los Angeles.
