In the Bay Area, the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda have come together in an effort to keep the Raiders in town. In the southern end of the state, the city and county of San Diego likewise are joining forces to try to retain the Chargers.
Via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Thursday that the two governmental entities will work together in an effort to device a solution to the stadium situation.
“This partnership helps make it official, that the entire San Diego region is united,” Faulconer said. “We are coming together, and there is real progress that is being made.”
But making progress and reaching the goal are two different things. With Faulconer determined to put any proposal to a public vote (a simple majority is necessary if the project requires no public money; if taxpayer funds are involved, two thirds of the voters must approve the measure), the project necessarily will take time — perhaps more time than the Chargers currently have to make a decision on whether they’ll leave San Diego.
And the buzz at the league meetings was clear and unmistakable. The Chargers believe San Diego has had more than enough time to fix this problem, and that any effort now is simply too little and too late.