SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The head of a citizens' group behind a proposed hike in San Diego's hotel tax spoke to CBS News 8 about an upcoming meeting with the Chargers.
The team and the group have similar plans to raise hotel taxes but differ on how the money will be spent. Both are concerned about what will happen at the site of the current stadium in Mission Valley.
In November as San Diegans head to the polls, they could very well be voting on two competing ballot measures, each with its own plan for funding a new Chargers stadium.
The meeting between the Chargers and supporters of the Citizens' Plan, both which moving forward with separate ballot measures to raise the hotel tax, is set for Monday.
"Part of the reason we are meeting is because there has been a vacuum of political leadership in this town. The plan on Monday is to talk about the future of Mission Valley," said Cory Briggs, attorney and author of Citizens' Plan.
Under the Citizens' Plan, redeveloping the Qualcomm Stadium site once the Chargers leave, if they leave, is a top priority. Plans include to build riverfront park and open the site for a local college or university.
"We leave it to SDSU or UCSD or community colleges to program the site. Very likely there would be a new football stadium for the Aztecs. That stadium may be able to accommodate Major League Soccer," said Briggs.
Under the current Chargers plan, the city's hotel tax would be raised by 16.5-percent. The money from the tax would be used in part as a financing mechanism for a new stadium convention center hybrid downtown.
The Citizens' Plan, which supports a joint stadium/convention center in East Village, would raise the hotel tax by 15.5-percent, but would not permit any public funding for a new stadium.
"The Citizens' Plan says, Chargers if you want to go downtown and build in conjunction with the Convention Center, you have to pay your own way for the stadium component," said Briggs.
While both sides are coming together to discuss their common goals Monday, Corey Briggs of the Citizens' Plan said the idea of consolidating the two initiatives is not on the table.
On Friday, the Chargers submitted its measure to the city, which means it can start collecting the 66,000 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.
The Citizens' Plan said its group has almost completed gathering the signatures needed for its measure which must be turned in by April 27th.