Good day all,
First off, I come in peace, I am not here to talk trash or put down you team. And while I am a Chargers fan first, I am a fan of your team too. I love watching football, and when it is not the Chargers, I will watch your team and route for them against other teams.
I am here today to ask for your help as football fans. I know that you are all fans of your team first, but I think most of us are fans of football as a whole. Currently, the San Diego Chargers are trying to get a new stadium.
They have developed a proposal that includes the building of a new $400 million stadium, $175 million in infrastructure improvements, 30 acres of park land and new retail/commercial/residential developments all in exchange for sixty acres of land that is currently a parking lot sitting on hazardous materials contaminated city owned land with no other cost to the city of San Diego. While that is a very brief description of the plan, that is what it entails.
Some of you may wonder why San Diego needs a new stadium. After all, Qualcomm looked awfully nice a few years ago in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.
Qualcomm is the fourth oldest stadium in the league in terms of being built or remodeled. It was built in the 1960s. It has been updated over the years, but is really showing its age.
Complicating this is the fact that the city of San Diego has deferred over $50 million in maintenance that the facility was to have in recent years. The combination of age and lack of proper maintenance has resulted in the decay of the stadium with steadily rising costs to operate it.
Now, you say why do you need our support? This sounds like a great deal for a stadium, especially compared to some other stadium deals around the league. Well, unfortunately, this is San Diego and the city government is a mess right now. As you may be aware, they are under investigation for deliberately underfunding the pension system, not once but twice. They are also under investigation for possible fraud related to that underfunding. And currently, two city council members are on trial for corruption in relation to allegedly accepting bribes.
This all results in a not so great atmosphere for getting things done in San Diego. The Chargers have been used as a scapegoat by some on the city council to divert attention away from themselves. I am sure you have heard similar attacks by some on your team, you know the ones that go something along the lines of the rich sports owners who only care about getting every last penny out of the city and residents as it can.
The city council has refused to work with the Chargers to develop their proposal and has in fact even voted down hiring or retaining consultants to work on the deal. This is inspite of the citys own citizen task force urging them to do so.
We have started a grassroots effort to raise the level of awareness of this issue and to encourage the city council of San Diego to make a good faith effort to develop a stadium plan that is fair to all parties involved resulting in the construction of a 21st century stadium for San Diego that ensures the Chargers remain the San Diego Chargers for many years to come.
What I ask is that any of you, who are fans of the Charges, even in the slightest of ways, please consider helping our cause. While you might think you have no influence on what happens in San Diego, it is important to remember that San Diego is very dependent on tourism and football fans traveling to San Diego for games or Super Bowls put a lot of money into the economy. So you can have a say and can have an impact.
Please consider going to our website and seeing what we are trying to accomplish. There is a message board on our site where you can post your thoughts on the proposal and find out how you can learn more about it and express your support for it.
Our website is: Citizens For a 21st Century Stadium
Again, please consider helping our cause and best of luck in the upcoming season, so long as it is not against the Chargers.
Go Bolts!
James "Magoo" Parrotte
Citizens for a 21st Century Stadium
National Community Project Team Leader
First off, I come in peace, I am not here to talk trash or put down you team. And while I am a Chargers fan first, I am a fan of your team too. I love watching football, and when it is not the Chargers, I will watch your team and route for them against other teams.
I am here today to ask for your help as football fans. I know that you are all fans of your team first, but I think most of us are fans of football as a whole. Currently, the San Diego Chargers are trying to get a new stadium.
They have developed a proposal that includes the building of a new $400 million stadium, $175 million in infrastructure improvements, 30 acres of park land and new retail/commercial/residential developments all in exchange for sixty acres of land that is currently a parking lot sitting on hazardous materials contaminated city owned land with no other cost to the city of San Diego. While that is a very brief description of the plan, that is what it entails.
Some of you may wonder why San Diego needs a new stadium. After all, Qualcomm looked awfully nice a few years ago in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.
Qualcomm is the fourth oldest stadium in the league in terms of being built or remodeled. It was built in the 1960s. It has been updated over the years, but is really showing its age.
Complicating this is the fact that the city of San Diego has deferred over $50 million in maintenance that the facility was to have in recent years. The combination of age and lack of proper maintenance has resulted in the decay of the stadium with steadily rising costs to operate it.
Now, you say why do you need our support? This sounds like a great deal for a stadium, especially compared to some other stadium deals around the league. Well, unfortunately, this is San Diego and the city government is a mess right now. As you may be aware, they are under investigation for deliberately underfunding the pension system, not once but twice. They are also under investigation for possible fraud related to that underfunding. And currently, two city council members are on trial for corruption in relation to allegedly accepting bribes.
This all results in a not so great atmosphere for getting things done in San Diego. The Chargers have been used as a scapegoat by some on the city council to divert attention away from themselves. I am sure you have heard similar attacks by some on your team, you know the ones that go something along the lines of the rich sports owners who only care about getting every last penny out of the city and residents as it can.
The city council has refused to work with the Chargers to develop their proposal and has in fact even voted down hiring or retaining consultants to work on the deal. This is inspite of the citys own citizen task force urging them to do so.
We have started a grassroots effort to raise the level of awareness of this issue and to encourage the city council of San Diego to make a good faith effort to develop a stadium plan that is fair to all parties involved resulting in the construction of a 21st century stadium for San Diego that ensures the Chargers remain the San Diego Chargers for many years to come.
What I ask is that any of you, who are fans of the Charges, even in the slightest of ways, please consider helping our cause. While you might think you have no influence on what happens in San Diego, it is important to remember that San Diego is very dependent on tourism and football fans traveling to San Diego for games or Super Bowls put a lot of money into the economy. So you can have a say and can have an impact.
Please consider going to our website and seeing what we are trying to accomplish. There is a message board on our site where you can post your thoughts on the proposal and find out how you can learn more about it and express your support for it.
Our website is: Citizens For a 21st Century Stadium
Again, please consider helping our cause and best of luck in the upcoming season, so long as it is not against the Chargers.
Go Bolts!
James "Magoo" Parrotte
Citizens for a 21st Century Stadium
National Community Project Team Leader
