The ballot initiative in San Diego for a new stadium for the Chargers is going to fail by a massive margin.
Via Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the measure was failing by a 59-41 margin with roughly half of the vote counted on Tuesday night.
It needed a 2/3rds majority to pass. Instead, it’s failing by nearing a 2/3rds majority.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos released a statement Tuesday night thanking citizens for support but saying he didn’t have an answer for where the team tries to go from here.
Despite the fact that Measure C failed to receive a two-thirds majority, I wanted to reach out right away with a very sincere thank you for your loyal support as a fan and for considering our initiative.
There is much we can be proud of tonight: the 110,000 residents who qualified the measure in just six short weeks; the vocal and passionate support from our fan groups and corporate partners; the strong endorsements and hard work of numerous civic, business, and labor leaders; and the heartfelt efforts of our alumni and players.
In terms of what comes next for the Chargers, it’s just too early to give you an answer. We are going to diligently explore and weigh our options, and do what is needed to maintain our options, but no decision will be announced until after the football season concludes and no decision will be made in haste.
The outpouring of support from friends like you, and so many others, has been heartwarming throughout the campaign and I will continue to be mindful of that in the weeks ahead.
Thank you, again, for believing in the Chargers. Everyone on the team and in my family appreciates your loyal support and continued patience, and we look forward to an exciting rest of the season.
The most readily available option to the Chargers would be a move north to Los Angeles to join the Rams in Stan Kroenke’s stadium in Inglewood. The Chargers have the opportunity to join the Rams in L.A. for the next few months before their one-year time frame to make a decision expires.