Why can't Calfornia build any new stadiums? (Los Angeles, San Diego: to buy, school district)

[AA702]

I'm a big Football Fan, a 49er fan in fact. But why can't any of the CA teams build a stadium? Oakland, SF or SD? It would be a shame to loose any of those teams to other states or cities that will build a state of the art stadium for any of those teams. I hear they are planing to build a new football stadium in the City of Industry and make a current team move (small market like Chargers, Bills, Saints..ect)

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Most Californians aren't gullible enough to buy the pay-for-my-stadium rhetoric from rich franchise owners. They don't provide that much long-term economic stimulus, and they divert attention and resources from more pressing needs.

[AA702]

I was thinking about 100% financed private funds. Can you imagine superbowls in LA or SF? That would be huge for the economy if they were in the rotation. The new PHX stadium is awesome.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by AA702

I was thinking about 100% financed private funds. Can you imagine superbowls in LA or SF? That would be huge for the economy if they were in the rotation. The new PHX stadium is awesome.

Because the private entities can't afford to build here. It requires huge infrastructure investments that they want the cities to pay for. Taxpayers don't want to fund those projects.

[SandyCo]

I, for one, am glad that the taxpayers don't want to pay for such projects! Don't we have enough to worry about now with the sorry state of education, health care, etc. in California? The state doesn't even have a budget in place yet. Even if they did, I think it would be fiscally irresponsible to use public funds to build a football stadium. Private financing is a different issue; if the movie studios wanted to do this, for example, that'd be fine with me.

[j760]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

I, for one, am glad that the taxpayers don't want to pay for such projects! Don't we have enough to worry about now with the sorry state of education, health care, etc. in California? The state doesn't even have a budget in place yet. Even if they did, I think it would be fiscally irresponsible to use public funds to build a football stadium. Private financing is a different issue; if the movie studios wanted to do this, for example, that'd be fine with me.

Taxes don't have to be what gets them done, there are other options. Also, it's easy to think of a new stadium as just sports related, but when you put in a new stadium especially downtown you not only revitalize a downtown area, but you also create tons of jobs and really boost the local economy.

Living in San Diego I've seen what Petco Park has done for downtown San Diego, it's true what they say, it's more than just a ballpark.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by j760

Taxes don't have to be what gets them done, there are other options. Also, it's easy to think of a new stadium as just sports related, but when you put in a new stadium especially downtown you not only revitalize a downtown area, but you also create tons of jobs and really boost the local economy.

Living in San Diego I've seen what Petco Park has done for downtown San Diego, it's true what they say, it's more than just a ballpark.

The new generation of ballparks have been easier to build... they are typically small and located in a revitalizing downtown (i.e on crumbling industrial space)

A football stadium is a much bigger proposition.

[MichaelinWA]

I don't know if that's really true. I'm pretty sure that Safeco Field (baseball) cost more than Qwest Field (football), for example. Either way you cut it, both were monstrously huge projects.

Originally Posted by Sassberto

The new generation of ballparks have been easier to build... they are typically small and located in a revitalizing downtown (i.e on crumbling industrial space)

A football stadium is a much bigger proposition.

[missionhome]

As far as football in Los Angeles, I think most are fairly content with just having USC and UCLA college football. Ask most people about a pro team and they say "Well, it would be nice..." but it isn't a HUGE deal to them. My kid's school district doesn't even have enough money to run 80% of the school buses right now, and the idea of using public funds to build a stadium is not right in my opinion. Emergency rooms are closing throughout the state and they have been waiting years to build a subway to the sea. A football stadium is not the most important source of public funds. Now if a bunch of billionaires and companies want to use their own money for it, go ahead

[Charles]

Originally Posted by AA702

I was thinking about 100% financed private funds. Can you imagine superbowls in LA or SF? That would be huge for the economy if they were in the rotation. The new PHX stadium is awesome.

They can have Superbowls in LA or SF even if there is no team there. The Superbowl has been played at Stanford, the Coliseum, San Diego's Stadium (used to be called Jack Murphy) and the Rose Bowl.