Chargers Chair Dean Spanos is aware that there "remains a steep hill to climb toward a public-private stadium partnership and some hurdles that just might prove impossible to vault," but his approach "seems to be a genuine reversal from the tone of the past 16 months," according to a front-page piece by Kevin Acee of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Spanos said that "nothing has been decided in terms of a financing structure and a site for their proposed stadium." He said the team’s efforts are "focused on deciding between whether to try to get a stadium built downtown or in Mission Valley and discussing financing options with the city." But there is still a "gap in the proposed funding." Spanos "will not discuss what his family will contribute." But he said that the commitment "will be 'significant.'" Spanos and new stadium point man Fred Maas are "discussing various strategies for campaigning once a citizens’ initiative is finalized and the effort to get a November ballot measure passed is underway." Spanos said, "We’re going to do what we need to do to get this done ... I can’t do it myself. It’s going to take the effort of the mayor; politically we need support. The business community needs to step up. I think once we have a definitive plan in place they’ll get behind us and support us. It has to economically make sense for the voters.” He added, "Bringing on Fred was a real plus for not just us but the city. ... He’s familiar with the politics of the city. He’s a business guy, and he understands the economics of both projects. He’s been helpful to me understanding what we can build at each site, what it means economically to us and what’s maybe more doable than the other one" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/17).
