Chargers Move To Cost San Diego Economy $126 Million, Says USD Professor

SAN DIEGO, CA – The decision by owner Dean Spanos to move the Chargers to Los Angeles could raise San Diego's unemployment rate by 0.1 percent, a University of San Diego professor said Thursday.

Around 1,400 jobs directly depend on the Chargers and 200 jobs are indirect and induced by the team's activities, Professor Alan Gin said.

Gin based his conclusions on research he conducted for the Chargers on the impact of Measure C, the team's failed local proposition to raise hotel taxes to partially fund a downtown stadium.

Direct expenditures associated with Chargers operations in San Diego are $104 million, he said. The total includes non-player salary expenditures by the team, expenditures by the city of San Diego related to Qualcomm Stadium, and spending by visiting media and NFL officials.

Gin said the total impact on regional output based on known data is $126 million. The actual total is higher because there is no information on local expenditures by players or spending by visiting fans, according to the professor.

He said while some fans of other teams are local, many others visit from other cities.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock