A new article:
SDSU 'friends' to politicians: We don't need you
"The folks trying to turn the SDCCU Stadium site into San Diego State University’s west campus need a few key things: Lots of money, to put their initiative on the ballot and wage a winning campaign. A compelling story, that it’s not really about a stadium but the future of San Diego. A majority of city voters, no further explanation needed.
What they don’t need, apparently, is backing from elected officials.
“I don’t know that it’s relevant,” said Jack McGrory, former San Diego city manager and a leader in the newly formed Friends of SDSU Steering Committee.
.....
The SDSU friends will welcome all support, of course, but their campaign likely will play off positive regionwide vibes toward State and what their version of the Mission Valley project can do for the county, educationally, economically and socially. ..... Then there’s whatever their veteran political strategist Tom Shepard comes up with. It’s worth remembering he ran the campaign for Petco Park that attracted a hair under 60 percent of the vote in 1998. But there was no competing project then.
......
The fight will be whose project will have the best, longest-lasting impact on the region. Assuming SDSU qualifies for the ballot, there’s likely to be a head-to-head match up with SoccerCity possibly in June, winner take all.
SoccerCity points to its thousands of pages of detailed plans for its big commercial, residential, parks and sports development and will no doubt point out that doesn’t exist for State. The latter’s ballot measure — yes, I know, the friends committee and SDSU are technically separate, but please — basically allows the sale of the site of the stadium formerly known as Qualcomm to the school for whatever the property is appraised at. Meanwhile, SDSU is working on its plan for what to put there...... SDSU can’t endorse — or oppose — an initiative, but it has given its tacit approval of the ballot measure just as it gave tacit opposition to SoccerCity.
.......
In handicapping of the emerging mano-a-mano bout between SDSU and SoccerCity, you’d think the early odds go to State. The “friends” are a bunch of longtime local heavy hitters, most of them alums, who represent one of the region’s cherished institutions and a political consultant who, though a UC San Diego grad, has had considerable success in this town. That casts SoccerCity’s FS Investors largely as outsiders."
(and the article ends with this Tweet of the Week)
Tweet of the Week: Goes to Ben Higgins (@BenHigginsSD), 10News sports director.
“So, I've been waiting to see if SDSU could come up with a better plan than Soccer City. But all I see is a plan to come up with plan later.”