Mayor hopes for fresh start with Chargers on stadium talks

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, center, speaks during a news conference about the city's NFL football team alongside Ron Roberts, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, left, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, in San Diego. The San Diego Chargers face a big decision: take the option to move to the Los Angeles area along with the Rams, or accept an extra $100 million from the NFL and try to repair their badly damaged relations with San Diego in working out a deal for a new stadium. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, center, speaks during a news conference about the city's NFL football team alongside Ron Roberts, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, left, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, in San Diego. The San Diego Chargers face a big decision: take the option to move to the Los Angeles area along with the Rams, or accept an extra $100 million from the NFL and try to repair their badly damaged relations with San Diego in working out a deal for a new stadium. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

By Associated Press January 13, 2016 4 min read

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Mayor Kevin Faulconer left a message for Chargers chairman Dean Spanos on Wednesday, inviting him back to the negotiating table.

Spanos was still traveling back from Houston, where on Tuesday night he suffered a stinging defeat while still being granted the chance to leave San Diego for Los Angeles.

“I indicated I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get together and discuss things positively and collaboratively,” Faulconer said at a news conference at City Hall, where he was joined by County Commissioner Ron Roberts and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.

Faulconer said the NFL’s rejection of the Chargers’ plans to build a stadium in Carson with the Oakland Raiders gives both sides the opportunity for a fresh start in what has been a bruising saga in San Diego that has damaged the team’s relationship with what had been a loyal fan base.

But it’s up to Spanos to decide if he wants to restart talks in San Diego with an extra $100 million from the NFL to go toward a replacement for aging Qualcomm Stadium, or come to an agreement with Stan Kroenke to join the St. Louis Rams in Inglewood.