Voters reject San Diego stadium funding plan but back Texas ballpark

San Diego voters have overwhelmingly defeated a funding plan for a new downtown American football stadium, casting doubt over the future of the Chargers NFL franchise in the city.

However, on the day that Donald Trump won the race to be the President-elect of the US, voters in Arlington gave their backing to a new retractable-roof ballpark for the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball franchise.

With a two-thirds majority required to pass the required measures to increase hotel-tax revenue, failed by 57 per cent to 43 per cent after all city precincts were counted. Provisional ballots were still set to be counted, but were not going to affect the overall result.

Voters opposed Ballot Measure C, with the public asked to approve a four-per-cent increase in hotel room taxes that would generate $1.15bn (£930m/€1.04bn) in funding for a proposed new $1.8bn downtown stadium for the Chargers. The complex was also expected to include a convention centre.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos previously said that any poll result that is close to 50 per cent would encourage him to pursue efforts to stay in San Diego rather than explore relocation.

“In terms of what comes next for the Chargers, it’s just too early to give you an answer,” Spanos said in a letter to fans released earlier today (Wednesday). “We are going to diligently explore and weigh our options, and do what is needed to maintain our options, but no decision will be announced until after the football season concludes and no decision will be made in haste.”

With a straightforward majority required in Arlington, 60 per cent of the voters had approved a financial package, including a sales tax and hotel tax, with 132 of the 137 precincts having reported their results.

Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams expressed his relief at the result in favour of the $1bn ballpark next to the existing Globe Life Park.

“We have so much at stake here in our city that, absolutely, I’ve been very concerned,” Williams told the Star-Telegram newspaper. “We were expecting it, but you’re still relieved when you actually see it.”