In a move that I find different, but exciting — the L.A. Times is reporting that the Raiders and Chargers are proposing a shared $1.7 Billion NFL stadium in the L.A. suburb of Carson, California.
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.
This move counters the one made by Rams onwer Stan Kreinke — who announced in December his plan to build an 80,000-seat stadium on the land that used to be Hollywood Park.
The Chargers say 25% of their fan base is in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Oakland brass simply can’t pay for a stadium alone.