The San Diego Chargers will apply to the NFL to bolt to Los Angeles, it was reported this weekend.
Chargers executive Mark Fabiani went on a San Diego-area sports radio station to say the Chargers would apply to move to the much-larger TV market because two other teams are poised to do so.
“At this point, yes, because there’s no sign that the other team or teams are not going to file,” Fabiani told XEPRS “the Mighty 10-90” radio.
He said the Chargers, often referred to as the “bolts” for the lightning sign on their helmets, are in a partnership with the Oakland Raiders to build a new stadium together in the South Bay, between Long Beach and LAX.
The St. Louis Rams have the old Hollywood Park race track site in Inglewood as their preferred relocation site.
“Everyone assumes all three teams will file, and in that case we can’t afford to lose our market in Los Angeles and Orange County,” Fabiani said.
Fabiani is a former Los Angeles deputy mayor and Hollywood Hills resident, and has been the point man on the Chargers’ stadium issues.
The Chargers have been asking for about 15 years for a replacement for aging Qualcomm Stadium, and city officials determined the current site in San Diego’s Mission Valley was the best location.
The Chargers are also watching a citizens’ initiative to commit the City of San Diego to a new San Diego stadium on the bay, south of the Center City.
The initiative would be aimed for the June 2016 ballot.
— City News Service