Aug. 04--The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders invested almost $900,000 in a ballot initiative to fast-track their proposed stadium in Carson, according to campaign finance reports filed Monday.
That's about half the amount spent for a similar approval by the rival stadium project in Inglewood backed by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
In April, the Carson City Council unanimously approved a measure that allowed the $1.7-billion plan to bypass lengthy and expensive environmental reviews.
The Chargers contributed $466,000 to the campaign -- known as Carson2gether -- and the Raiders kicked in $424,000.
Each team funded the organization with $375,000 in cash. Their non-monetary contributions made up the balance. The Raiders, for example, gave $14,000 of unspecified merchandise to Carson2gether. The Chargers provided $50,000 in consulting services.
In the period covered by the statement -- April through June -- Carson2gether spent $356,000. That total included $148,000 to a Sacramento law firm that specializes in ballot initiatives, $90,000 to a Maine company that specializes in digital campaigns and $36,000 for a communications consultant.
The effort moved quickly. Carson2gether needed just eight days to collect more than 14,000 signatures in support of the ballot initiative. In light of the support, Carson's City Council decided to skip a public vote and adopt the ballot measure.
The Chargers and Raiders have agreed to reimburse Carson's expenses related to the project, including consultants and legal fees.
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