Hurdle Is Cleared to Keep Chargers in San Diego

Prodded by the fear that another city might try to lure away the Chargers, the City Council voted Tuesday to spend $66.6 million to improve city-owned San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

The council rejected a request to put the measure on the ballot by a small group of opponents, who promised a legal fight to force a public vote after the council’s decision.

“Los Angeles would love to have the Chargers back; that’s where they began,” Councilman Juan Vargas said. “Let’s not balk and dilly-dally like Cleveland” where city officials and owner Art Modell never got together on upgrading Municipal Stadium and the Browns decided to move to Baltimore.

The city will add 10,000 seats to the 29-year-old stadium, two state-of-the-art scoreboards and skyboxes, plus build a practice field nearby.

The bonds are to be repaid by increased rent from the Chargers, an increase in parking fees and a bigger cut of the concession revenue. In exchange, the Chargers promise to stay in San Diego until 2020, although there are loopholes that would allow the team to leave after 2003.

“Having an NFL team is important to San Diego’s image,” said Duke Sobek, president of the San Diego Hotel-Motel Assn. “Let me remind you there is a major metropolitan city to the north who would love to clamp on to one.”

Even the opponents of the package say they hope the Chargers remain in San Diego, but that as a matter of principle they feel the bonds should not be sold without public approval.

Mayor Susan Golding and various council members noted that the council spends a great deal more money on other projects without generating a fraction of the passion that has been wrought by discussion of the possible loss of the Chargers.

City officials are hopeful the construction will be complete in time for the 1998 Super Bowl in San Diego.