Two ballot measures that could have brought a combined convention center annex and Chargers stadium to downtown San Diego were soundly defeated Tuesday.

The results could prompt the Chargers to exercise an option they have to relocate to Los Angeles, but the team may decide to search for another local stadium solution instead.

Measure C, which included a hotel-tax increase sponsored by the Chargers, was getting support from 43 percent of voters, far short of the 66.7 percent needed for approval, according to election returns Wednesday morning.

Measure D, which also had a hotel-tax increase and was placed on the ballot by environmentalists and other community leaders, was also getting support from 40 percent, similarly short of a two-thirds majority.


Getting support from less than 50 percent of voters would eliminate opportunities either measure could have had to transform failure to success through the legal system.

The state Supreme Court’s ruling in California Cannabis Coalition v. City of Upland could reduce the approval threshold for measures placed on the ballot by citizen’s initiative from two-thirds to a simple majority.

Measure D co-author Cory Briggs had said he would file suit on different grounds than that case if Measure D got support from a simple majority, contending his measure doesn’t need two-thirds approval because it’s a general tax, not a tax for a specific purpose.

But both measures appeared highly unlikely to reach 50 percent approval, based on the early returns.


Chargers owner Dean Spanos posted a letter to fans on the team’s website after midnight thanking all those who helped put Measure C on the ballot and supported it. He said there would be no immediate decision about the way forward.

“In terms of what comes next for the Chargers, it’s just too early to give you an answer,” he wrote. “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.”

Spanos said in September that how close Measure C came to passing could play a key role in that decision.

The team has until Jan. 15 to exercise an option to move to Los Angeles and join the Rams in a stadium being constructed in Inglewood.


“I think percentage tells me a lot,” Spanos said in September. “If we only get 30 or 35 percent that tells you one thing. If we get 60 percent that tells you something else. I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen on Nov. 8.”

Spanos left open the possibility that if Measure C failed, he would negotiate a different deal with Mayor Kevin Faulconer or possibly explore other sites in San Diego County outside the city.

But Spanos said he wouldn’t consider pursuing a new stadium in Mission Valley, where the team plays now in aging Qualcomm Stadium, because it wouldn’t make financial sense for the city or the team to build a stand-alone stadium there.

The Supreme Court case is still a ray of hope for the Chargers, because a ruling in the team’s favor would reduce the approval threshold for a subsequent stadium measure to a simple majority.


The team filed a brief in the case last week, arguing that California’s constitution grants unique power to citizens that should include a lower approval threshold for tax measures by initiative.

The failure of Measure C comes despite the Chargers spending millions on TV and radio commercials and launching a strong ground campaign including volunteers and paid professionals knocking on doors throughout San Diego.

Measure C was endorsed by Mayor Faulconer and the San Diego Regional Chamber or Commerce, but was opposed by the powerful hotel industry and most other San Diego elected leaders.

The mayor’s endorsement came after the team agreed to a series of concessions that weren’t legally binding, which could have made voters skeptical.


Opponents said Measure C was fraught with a variety of risks for taxpayers and local tourism, including possibly prompting Comic-Con International to leave town.

They also said the Chargers were underestimating construction costs, called the measure a giveaway to a billionaire NFL owner and questioned the Chargers claims that Measure C would boost the local economy.

Late Tuesday night, a leader of the No on C campaign said the voters vindicated the concerns raised by opponents.

“I think the message is that San Diegans really think the deal is a bad deal,” said campaign chairwoman April Boling, criticizing the Chargers for placing the measure on the ballot without first negotiating with city leaders. “This is not negative about the Chargers it was negative about Measure C -- we want the Chargers to stay.”


1 / 49 Poll worker Bea Iwig had John Wickenhiser, the first voter to complete a ballot, verify ballot box was empty before sealing it. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 49 Trump supporters erupt in cheer after it was announced the Donald Trump is the projected winner of the 2016 presidential election at the Republican election night headquarters at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 49 Cooper Gabriel, 4, literally bounces off the walls while his mother Kate Gabriel marks her ballot at the polling place at the First Church of the Nazarene, Point Loma. Peggy Peattie (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 49 National City resident Luis Arturo Chapas didn’t wait for a voting booth to fill out his ballot, instead standing nearby to them in the produce section at the Foodland Grocery Store and Mercado in National City. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 49 Proposition 64 supporter Dion Markgraaff smokes a joint at a rally supporting the legalization of recreational marijuana use upon hearing the proposition passed Tuesday night. (David Brooks / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 49 Avary Morales, 9, from Santee, cheers as she watches election results showing Donlad Trump in the lead at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 49 Nora Smith of Ocean Beach does some election day campaigning her candidate. Peggy Peattie () 8 / 49 Trump supporters Morgan Wonderly, left, and Kendall Depasgal celebrate after it was announced the Donald Trump is the projected winner of the 2016 presidential election at the Republican election night headquarters at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 49 Raul Travesi, 13, right, who says he supports Hillary Clinton, has a worried look on his face as he watches election results on a television monitor as he and other students with the St. John of the Cross Catholic School do a field trip at Golden Hall in San Diego on Tuesday. The couple are Roberts supporters. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 49 Congressman Darrell Issa answers reporters questions at his Oceanside campaign headquarters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 49 After the announcement that Hillary Clinton will not speak tonight, Jessica Goeldner from Little Italy carries off a souvenir photo cut out of President Barack Obama from the Westin Hotel. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 49 Trump supporter Eileen Sheridan cries tears of joy after it was announced the Donald Trump is the projected winner of the 2016 presidential election at the Republican election night headquarters at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 49 Incumbent Darrel Issa for the 49th Congressional District sits during a television interview at Golden Hall on election night. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 49 Alicia Guerra from Chula Vista wore her partyâ€™s hat at the Westin Hotel where many democrats waited to watch results come in from Tuesdayâ€™s election. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 49 Early morning voters the polling place inside the Encinitas Boxing and Fitness Center. Howard Lipin (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 49 Voters lined up to cast their ballots in Scripps Ranch. John Gibbins (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 49 County Supervisor candidate Kristin Gaspar at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 49 County Supervisor Dave Roberts walks toward his next interview as County Supervisor candidate Kristin Gaspar, background left, is does an interview at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 49 Trump supporters cheer as they watch a television monitor showing presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking after it was announced that he is the projected winner of the 2016 presidential election at the Republican election night headquarters at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 49 Voters wait in line at the polling place inside the Encinitas Boxing and Fitness Center. Photo by Howard Lipin/San Diego Union-Tribune () 21 / 49 Dave Roberts, at right, visits and thanks his volunteers at his Solana Beach campaign headquarters he shares with Doug Applegate. With him are family members, LtoR: son Julian 15, his spouse Wally holding their son Manny, 3, and their daughter Natalie, 8. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 49 Waiting for the polls to open in Scripps Ranch are, Mark Keiper, John Wickenhiser and Gloria Poliner. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 49 National City resident Luis Arturo Chapas didn’t wait for a voting booth to fill out his ballot, instead standing nearby to them in the produce section at the Foodland Grocery Store and Mercado in National City. () 24 / 49 Avary Morales, 9, from Santee, crosses her fingers as she and her sister Bella Morales, 15, watch election results showing Donlad Trump in the lead at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 25 / 49 Ron Ranson, from Encinitas, points out the results that says County Supervisor Dave Roberts is ahead of Kristin Gaspar is ahead to his wife Nicola at Golden Hall in San Diego on Tuesday. The couple are Roberts supporters. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 26 / 49 A voter selects a sticker after casting their ballot in La Jolla Tuesday morning. Peggy Peattie (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 27 / 49 Workers at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters take in the first ballots at 9:30pm on Tuesday nigh after the poles closed in San Diego, California. Ballots will be counted all night long. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) 28 / 49 Workers at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters take in the first ballots at 9:30pm on Tuesday nigh after the poles closed in San Diego, California. Ballots will be counted all night long. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) 29 / 49 Congressman Darrell Issa, left, confers with volunteer Taylor Strand, right, between calls while they were working the phone bank at his campaign office on election day. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 30 / 49 Donald Trump supporter, Martha Doirom, age-82 from Chula Vista has waited for the past 8-years for the Republicans to return back to the Whitehouse. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 31 / 49 San Diego resident Colleen Guerra hung a flag from her balcony. A polling place was set up in her garage in Scripps Ranch. John Gibbins () 32 / 49 State senate candidate Toni Atkins and Congress Scott Peters, for the 52nd District, speak to each other at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 33 / 49 Poll worker Tad Pinney checked in Mark Keiper, the first voter in line, who got there 20 minutes early to vote. John Gibbins (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 34 / 49 Chargers fans Denise Coulter, left, and Reshawn Langston cheer with other supporters for Measure C, the measure for the downtown San Diego Chargers stadium, at Cali Comfort BBQ in Spring Valley on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 35 / 49 Douglas Applegate running candidate for the 49th Congressional District arrived at Golden Hall Tuesday night but was not ready to claim victory or defeat. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 36 / 49 Tuesday afternoon 49th. Congressional District candidate Doug Applegate speaks to two 14 year olds on their bikes in front of the Carlsbad Fire Station #4 polling place. He spoke to members of the media there earlier and the kids stopped by to see what was going on. Left is Bennett Strick and at right is Cyrus Cerda. He didn’t enter the polling place or speak to any voters. He voted earlier in San Clemente. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) 37 / 49 Foodland Mercado in National City is one of the more unique polling place in San Diego County. John Gibbins () 38 / 49 Rexie Saldivar, of Scripps Ranch, left, takes a selfie photo with her daughter, Sabrina Saldivar, center, and her son, Michael Saldivar, right, in front of a display of I Voted signs in different languages, at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 39 / 49 Election worker John Mann deposits mail-in ballots dropped off at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office into a secured lock box at the drive-thru lane. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 40 / 49 Sally West, a field service representative from the Registrar of Voters, looks to see that a polling place at the First Church of the Nazarene in Point Loma has everything it needs. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 41 / 49 Candidate for city attorney Robert Hickey, left, and friends Ryley Webb, center, and Ian Clampett waved signs at the intersection of Nimitz and Sunset Cliffs Blvds. Tuesday morning before he went to his polling place near Point Loma Nazarene to cast his vote. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 42 / 49 Supports for Douglas Applegate, running candidate for the 49th Congressional District waited in Golden Hall for their candidate to arrive on election night. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 43 / 49 Jennifer Moore waits for 7:00am on her clock to announce that the polling place inside the Encinitas Boxing and Fitness Center is open for voting. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 44 / 49 San Diego, CA. USA November 8, 2016 | Poll workerDeborah Bunker, a first time poll volunteer, slips a ballot into the box through the secret sleeve at a catholic church in La Jolla Tuesday morning. | Mandatory photo credit: Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 45 / 49 Congressman for the 49th District Darrell Issa leaves one television interview and heads to the next at Golden Hall on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 46 / 49 The line at the Vote by Mail counter at the Registrar of Voters. (Howard Lipin) 47 / 49 Victoria Santos, a temporary employee with the Registrar of Voters, collects completed and sealed ballots curbside at the registrar’s offices. () 48 / 49 Supporting her Hillary Clinton for president, Deborah Boyd from Poway arrived at Golden Hall on to observe the election. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 49 / 49 Boltman, or Dan Jauregui, fires up supporters for Measure C, the measure for the downtown San Diego Chargers stadium, at Cali Comfort BBQ in Spring Valley on Tuesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Boling said many of those in opposition would become supporters of a stadium measure if it was done right, even if it included a public subsidy for the Chargers.

“A subsidy may make sense depending on how much it is and what kind of return you will get from that subsidy,” she said. “You need to make sure that whatever money you are putting is increasing tourism and boosting the economy, and if that’s the case I will be perfectly happy to support it.”

The failure of Measures C and D is just the latest in a series of setbacks for the Chargers 15-year-long pursuit of a replacement for Qualcomm Stadium.


The team’s previous efforts have included exploring a new stadium on the Qualcomm site that would have been partly funded by building condos there, and then meeting with officials in National City, Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido about possibly building stadiums in those cities.

The Chargers unveiled Measure C last spring, shortly after the NFL granted the team an option in January to join the Rams in Inglewood.

The Chargers quickly negotiated a tentative deal with Rams owner Stan Kroenke to share the Inglewood stadium, but then announced they would stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and pursue a local stadium solution.

NFL owners chose the Rams proposed Inglewood stadium over a rival stadium the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders had proposed in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson.


Both Measure C and Measure D would have increased local hotel taxes to pay for a combined convention center annex and stadium next to Petco Park in downtown’s East Village.

Measure C would have increased the local hotel taxes from 12.5 percent to 16.5 percent, while Measure D would have hiked them to 15.5 percent.

Under Measure C, the Chargers would have contributed $650 million for the stadium portion of the project, using $300 million from the NFL and $350 million from the team, licensing payments, sales of “stadium-builder” ticket options to fans, and other private sources.

The city would have raised $1.15 billion by selling bonds that would be paid back with the higher hotel tax revenues. That $1.15 billion would cover the city’s $350 million contribution to building the football stadium, $600 million to build the adjoining convention center annex, and $200 million for land.


Under Measure D, the only public subsidy to the Chargers would have been land. Hoteliers could have used some of the higher hotel taxes to pay for the convention center annex, with the Chargers and the NFL paying for the stadium portion of the project.

Measure D would also have allowed the Mission Valley stadium site to become a park, a San Diego River interpretive center and a higher education annex.

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