Goodell, Spanos Help Kick Off Chargers' Stadium Signature Campaign

The Chargers-sponsored citizens' initiative got off to a "raucous, upbeat start" yesterday, as an "estimated 4,000 people showed up" to the signature-gathering campaign to raise support for a tourism tax hike that would help finance a $1.8B stadium and convention center in the East Village. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance, and he told the crowd the new stadium would be "a home for the Chargers and a perfect place for a Super Bowl." Chargers Chair Dean Spanos was "vociferously cheered, though a smattering of boos were also heard as he walked to the lectern to speak." The applause for Goodell was "tepid and also mixed with boos, but many fans also expressed gratitude for his having come here from New York and took his attendance as a sign of his commitment to San Diego" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/24).