You are probably tired of the war. This is the one that Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor launched against the SF 49ers in 2016.
According to the Mayor’s propaganda claims, she points to the 49ers as the villain and the cause of Santa Clara’s decline in revenues, the loss of her Council majority and probably COVID-19 was even a 49ers plot.
Okay, maybe not COVID-19, and everything else is the 49ers’ fault.
Frankly folks this is faulty fiction. The $40 million budget deficit is not the fault of the 49ers or COVID-19.
The hole in Santa Clara’s budget began when Mayor Gillmor declared war on the 49ers.
Using a homemade survey of questionable value and authenticity, Gillmor’s gang of “Mini-Me” Council Members determined the noise level at the stadium was excessive.
The Council voted to not allow special events at the stadium that would perform past the 10 p.m. curfew. These three or four events a year were usually scheduled during the summer when kids were out of school and high-profile performers could entertain until 11 p.m.
It is true that not every event was a blockbuster. However, Santa Clara was averaging about $1.5 million a year in revenue from these events. That revenue went away and was not replaced. That’s a $3 million a year swing in costs to Santa Clara.
The truth is…it wasn’t the noise. It was a show of power that Gillmor and her disciples would run the City her way and at any cost. And cost Santa Clara it did.
Then there were the consulting contracts: private PR firms hired by the Mayor for hundreds of thousands each. This lavish lifestyle with City money also rolled over to select employees.
One of the beneficiaries has been City Manager Deanna Santana, whose compensation package is one of the highest in the country at $700,000. It may be that Santana is brilliant, however, with three assistants making $300,000 a year there still does not appear to be anyone securing the purse strings.
With a $40 million budget deficit looming over this council, something must give.
One of the first things this Council could do is eliminate the stadium curfew three or four nights a year. Folks, we need the money. If the Mayor wishes to continue her war with the 49ers, let her do it with her own money, not the residents’ money. Santa Clara could really use these event funds to help fill the multi-million-dollar budget hole. Let the 49ers make noise.
Frankly, it’s not really the noise on the Northside of town coming from the stadium. Residents are much more real and tell us, “It is the airplanes taking off and landing at the San Jose airport that is the noise issue!” Planes take off and land all day long and late into the evening. The special stadium events are for one extra hour three or four times a year.
In summary, Santa Clara Council needs sound legal advice that promotes goodwill, correct and accurate counsel, with an eye on financial issues. Current City Attorney Brain Doyle has failed the test. Now he is denying the facts. He has proven to be reprehensible and needs to be terminated.
have sf build a new stadium and leave that raggy ass mayor goodbye. should be enough money and sports people to help get a stadium going, this is San Francisco’s team not Santa Clara’s team.They got to big for their own good, say bye-bye, maybe stanford will let you use their field till new stadium gets built.