After a week of gloomy press regarding the Chargers' future in San Diego, Mayor Kevin Faulconer met for a half-hour Monday with Fred Maas, the team's advisor on stadium issues.
Only general topics were discussed, and Maas reiterated the desire of team officials to hold off on more substantive talks until after the season, a mayoral spokesman told City News Service.
The Chargers did not comment.
The stadium issue arose again last week when respected ESPN reporter Jim Trotter issued a series of attention-getting tweets.
I've never been more pessimistic about Chargers staying in SD. Based on all I'm hearing I'd be SHOCKED if team isn't in LA next year.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) December 1, 2016
Barring unanticipated miracle, I expect Chargers and Raiders to announce in January their plans to relocate - Chargers to LA, Raiders to LV.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) December 1, 2016
He later wrote that the Chargers were out of ideas for getting a new stadium San Diego.
A ballot measure that would have increased hotel room taxes to partially fund construction of a downtown stadium and would have included convention space, earned support from less than 44 percent of voters last month. Measure C, needed a two-thirds vote to pass.
Following the measure's defeat, team Chairman Dean Spanos issued a letter that asked fans to enjoy the games for now, saying he would make decisions after the season.
National Football League owners last January rejected a bid by the Chargers and Raiders to build a stadium in Carson, in Los Angeles County, but gave Spanos a one-year option to try again to get an agreement to stay in San Diego. That option expires in mid-January.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has been moving ahead with plans to build a stadium in Las Vegas. However, officials in Oakland have recently come up with a proposal to keep the team in Northern California.
