It was 2008 when I had an LA Times reporter tell me the Chargers would be in Los Angeles within a year, therefore it’s this forthcoming news in which I also take a grain full of salt.
News broke late Thursday that the Chargers and Raiders have partnered up in purchasing land in Carson, Calif. in order to propose the build of their own stadium. The cost would be nearly $2 billion for the privately funded stadium just south of L.A.
The Chargers and Raiders will continue to seek public subsidies for new stadiums in their home markets, but they are developing a detailed proposal for a privately financed Los Angeles venue in the event they can’t get deals done in San Diego and Oakland by the end of this year, according to the teams.
In a statement given to The Times on Thursday, the Chargers and Raiders said: “We are pursuing this stadium option in Carson for one straightforward reason: If we cannot find a permanent solution in our home markets, we have no alternative but to preserve other options to guarantee the future economic viability of our franchises.”
The teams are working with “Carson2gether,” a group of business and labor leaders. The coalition will announce the project Friday at a news conference near the 168-acre site, a parcel at the southwest quadrant of the intersection of the 405 Freeway and Del Amo Boulevard.
They plan to immediately launch a petition drive for a ballot initiative to get voter approval to build the stadium.
The city of angels has been without an NFL team for twenty years now. There have been multiple proposals in recent years to bring a franchise back, including the plans to build Farmers Field in downtown L.A. and developer Ed Roski’s plans in the City of Industry.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
Photo Credit: Getty
