Illuminated lightning bolts come on for Chargers

Illuminated signs celebrating the San Diego Chargers’ upcoming playoff game will be turned on Thursday night outside City Hall and the County Administration Center.

Two 40-foot-long lightning bolts were installed on City Hall, and they will be illuminated every night through the remainder of the Chargers’ season, according to the mayor’s office.

In preparation for Sunday’s playoff game between the Chargers and New York Jets at Qualcomm Stadium, Mayor Jerry Sanders has also declared Friday “Super Chargers Day” in San Diego and is encouraging everyone to wear team colors.

At the County Administration Center, members of the Board of Supervisors plan to flip a switch to illuminate a projection of the San Diego Chargers lightning bolt Thursday night on the Pacific Highway side of the building.

The projection, paid for by the supervisors and the chief administrative officer out of their own pockets, replaces large printed banners that appeared on the County Administration Center during previous Chargers playoff appearances, according to Tim McClain, a spokesman for Supervisor Ron Roberts.

McClain said some people thought the old signs were “jinxed” because of the Chargers’ failed Super Bowl bids over the past five years, so a new approach was needed.