LA closer to getting NFL team after stadium petition: report

(Reuters) - The dream of bringing national football back to Los Angeles was a step closer on Saturday after a petition to build a stadium to be shared by the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders garnered 14,000 signatures - twice as many as needed. The successful petition means the proposal will now go before the city council in Carson, California, which is in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Times reported. The petition drive was paid for by the two National Football League teams, which both played in Los Angeles before relocating. A rival stadium project in the city of Inglewood, also in the Los Angeles-area, was unanimously approved by its city council last month. The Chargers currently play at Qualcomm Stadium, built in 1967 and upgraded twice, according to the stadium's website. The Raiders, play in the O.co Coliseum, built in 1966 and renovated for $120 million in 1995, that stadium's website said. Both teams have tried for years to reach deals on new local stadiums and their owners have repeatedly said they are willing to move to Los Angeles, which does not have an NFL team of its own. The Chargers originated in Los Angeles and played there for a year in 1960 before moving to San Diego. The Raiders played in the city from 1982 to 1994. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Seattle. Editing by Andre Grenon)