San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith on Friday said that both the Chargers initiative to build a downtown stadium and a second November ballot measure to raise funds for a convention center "will require approval of two-thirds of voters as opposed to a simple majority," according to Lori Weisberg of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. While acknowledging that the legal question "will likely be decided by the state Supreme Court, Goldsmith concluded that based on current law, the two measures need a higher threshold for passage because they’re seeking to raise the hotel tax for a specific funding purpose." The Chargers have previously stated that they have "always operated on the assumption that a two-thirds majority is needed" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/6).
LIGHTNING CRASHES: In San Diego, Kevin Acee wrote, "No matter how much you love the Chargers, no matter how badly you want them to stay in San Diego, you so often end up shaking your head and saying, 'Why? Why is this garbage always happening with them?'" In fact, the more fans care about the team, the "more frustrating it is." DE Joey Bosa remains the only player from this year's NFL Draft "that has not signed." It is "unfair to pin this all on the Chargers." But after a while, if a certain entity is so often in the middle of a mess "it becomes difficult to not assume that entity is responsible for the mess." There "are signs that a certain portion of the populace has had enough," and there is "anecdotal evidence that even the team’s most fervent fans have cooled." A mere 2,000 people "showed up to Chargers Park last Saturday morning for the first practice of training camp." As for ticket sales, word is they are "not flying off the shelf" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/5).
