Chargers see S.D. prospects dimming

In another indication of the impasse between the Chargers and the city of San Diego, the club released a statement Tuesday saying they do not believe a stadium initiative can be put on the ballot this year.

That means the Chargers hold little hope of staying in San Diego, at least according to the NFL’s current timeline, and will continue to jointly pursue a Carson stadium with the Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers said they have had three formal meetings with the city — the third taking place Tuesday — and numerous informal conversations, but could not find a way to create a stadium ballot measure for December that complied with the California Environmental Quality Act and met election law requirements.

Said Mark Fabiani, Chargers special counsel: “The various options that we have explored with the city’s experts all lead to the same result: Significant time-consuming litigation founded on multiple legal challenges, followed by a high risk of eventual defeat in the courts.”

Time is of the essence for the Chargers because St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to begin construction in December on a competing stadium project in Inglewood. The NFL is not going to give the goahead to two L.A.-area stadiums, so the Chargers don’t have the luxury of waiting around for a years-long approval process that might never come to fruition.