Although the Chargers have tried hard to get enough votes to secure public funding for a new stadium, a loss at the ballot box remains highly likely. So what happens as of Wednesday, when fewer than 66.7 percent of the voters say “yes” to taxpayer money for the project?
Many think that the Chargers will leave for Los Angeles. However, there’s a lingering sense in league circles that owner Dean Spanos has no interest in partnering up with the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke, and that Kroenke has no interest in sharing the L.A. market with anyone. Spanos had hoped to secure approval to move to Carson in a stadium shared with the Raiders; he may not want to share space with the Rams, especially since the Chargers would be more second fiddle than equal partner.
Regardless, a final decision will need to come fairly quickly. The team’s option to join the Rams expires on January 15.
One possible solution could come from the court system. With the California Supreme Court handling an unrelated case that could reduce the threshold from 66.7 percent to 50 percent for such efforts, a ruling favorable to the Chargers along with a decision to apply that decision retroactively would provide a delayed-reaction victory following what would be technically a defeat.
There’s also a chance, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, that the Chargers will make another run at a ballot initiative in 2017. This time, they’d potentially have the support of popular Mayor Kevin Falconer.
In theory, another possibility would be to move to a place other than Los Angeles. The current sense, however, is that the Chargers won’t leave San Diego -- even if they remain stuck in an outdated, dilapidated venue. The relationship would continue until the team’s lease expires in 2020, at which point a solution would be needed. Of course, the solution could be a year-to-year Band-Aid while a long-term fix continues to be negotiated.
Regardless of how it all plays out in the future, it would be a surprise if the Chargers leave San Diego. Which is a major shift from the vibe that existed after the team played its final regular-season game there in 2015. And which the team probably doesn’t want anyone to realize before Tuesday, since a vague fear the team will move could help get more “yes” votes on Tuesday.