A friend of mine headed up to San Francisco this week to see Ed Sheeran. As you may already know, Sheeran’s one of the most popular and coveted entertainers in the music industry.
It was a sellout at AT&T Park.
Most important, it was a tragedy for Santa Clara.
Not that Santa Clarans don’t like music — they love it and they love Sheeran.
However, you might remember that our Council did a rather informal survey and found a small percent of stadium neighbors who didn’t like the stadium noise and the crowds.
Based on that critical information, and led by the Mayor, the City Council chose to invoke the 10 p.m. curfew at the Stadium. Sheeran ended up skipping Levi’s Stadium as a stop for his tour.
Now some folks might take umbrage with that decision — just because the City threw away $700,000 to San Francisco they might be really upset. (That amount would be earned by our City twice a year).
But remember, in the name of transparency, everyone’s feelings must be considered. There are the neighborhood children that need their sleep. Then there is the indecency of attendees urinating on neighborhood lawns. While this may be good for landscapers, it irritates homeowners.
But the big issue is the noise. Imagine a stadium of 50 to 60 thousand people. It has been measured that this kind of mass generates around 90 decibels of sound. In case you are wondering…that’s loud. Louder than Great America on a good day. Of course, there are the jet planes that take off from the San Jose Airport over the same neighborhood. Now while jet airplanes create 140 decibels at takeoff, they eventually fly away. In addition, the airplanes only take off every eight to 10 minutes up to 11 p.m.
Maybe our Mayor could lobby the San Jose Council to stop flights at 10 p.m. in keeping with Santa Clara’s ordinance?
Well, maybe not.
Mayor Sam Liccardo and his team are committed to generating revenue for their city. The flights will continue.
Some have suggested that our Mayor and her team should just be committed.
It was very funny that the very next week, after the Council upheld the curfew, they were out talking to community groups about raising additional money for the City.
The Sunday School penny drive wasn’t a big hit.
Maybe I have something confused here. We work our buns off to bring the stadium to Santa Clara, spend a billion dollars to build it and then keep it from operating.
Let’s see. Who does the Council hurt? The 49er Management Company (that has more money than God) or the residents of Santa Clara who are now paying more in taxes, fees and licensing costs?
Duh?
Based on the Measure J vote, there are about 40% of the residents who like the curfew and 60% who don’t. Obviously, majorities only count if they agree with the Council.
But keep the faith. Based on the Mayor’s math she used to calculate the 49ers rent reset, Santa Clara will qualify for Federal Poverty Assistance by Spring.
See you next week.
View Comments (2)
I have lived in Santa Clara (all my life) so far.... Your article was dead on. That's my opinion. I know people who live in that "area" and your correct there is more noise with air traffic. And since the stadium there house value went up and they like that. I just hope the mayor doesn't keep losing funds from events, that can help Santa Clara City. Well we do have a November election coming.
The editor needs to acknowledge the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the 49er’s stadium which was created before this stadium was built.. (It is here: http://santaclaraca.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=12789) Granted this is a 158 page document. But, it well worth reading. A FEIR is required by both the state and federal government to document actions a city undergoes which “significantly affect the quality of the human environment”. If you go to page 66 you will note that there were “no feasible mitigation measures that would reduce noise levels from large events” for the open stadium design, Therefore city engineers recommended that a roof be incorporated in the final design. If you go to page 50 and Table 2 you will note that the FEIR mandates that the project (the stadium) “should be conditioned to allow no more than one concert per year.” So, it was pretty clear well before ground was broken that this stadium needed a roof built on it for concerts to be held there. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the city council, which if they had read the FEIR, would have known that the stadium design didn’t work for money making concerts. We members of the voting electorate ALL had public access to this document. It was the civic duty of everyone to speak out against the stadium and its lousy design. I did. Did you?