Two people can keep a secret if one of them doesn’t know what it is.
Intellectual property is a huge business in Silicon Valley, creating a breeding ground for attorneys, paper work and billable hours.
Keeping secrets may be costly, yet…revealing secrets can be astronomical.
Millions of dollars trade hands every year in this Valley — legally and illegally — to obtain or protect intellectual secrets.
When it comes to the 49ers, our Council doesn’t respect its business secrets. The Council wants the 49ers proprietary information in their hands — where it could be made public. Once information arrives at City Hall, it historically can’t be protected from becoming public.
A recent example of this was the unveiling of details on the 2018 Taylor Swift concerts.
If you were a promoter, would you book any venue where the details would be revealed to your competition? Not in a hundred years!
The Santa Clara City Council and Mayor Gillmor have been hounding the 49ers to stop hiding their secrets and bring all their contact details to City Hall to be examined.
The 49ers aren’t stupid. Their football may be a little suspect, but as business operators, they excel. They are not going to make their private information public.
They have invited City officials to visit the stadium anytime to review any and all documents. There, they are protected by confidentiality agreements.
At City Hall, information might as well be public and open to competitors.
The 49ers have invested huge dollars in protecting their intellectual property. Their contracts are proprietary, confidential and, like all competitive businesses, secret.
Even public companies are judicious in protecting their trade secrets and intellectual property. You don’t see that kind of information in a company prospectus or annual report.
But our City politics are different. Since our Council doesn’t respect the 49ers, they certainly aren’t going to respect their trade secrets.
With that in mind, you would almost think this Council wants the 49ers to fail, breach their contract, and give up their highly protected business secrets.
Mayor Gillmor was appointed right before her highly touted 2016 stadium audit. The one that was going to peel off the wrappings of the 49er’s nefarious money laundering, campaign donations and a host of other despicable activities which she charged.
All that was uncovered of interest was the million dollars the City owed the 49ers for over-billing them a year on parking after they stopped using City property.
Despite our City Manager’s public statement as to how our City pays its bills timely, our City hasn’t paid a dime on this bill. In fact, the Mayor is using taxpayers’ money in a lawsuit, challenging the million dollars owed the 49ers.
No, we aren’t kidding.
Think about it. Would you entrust your confidential business secrets with this Council?
Only if you were contemplating economic suicide!
View Comments (11)
This article goes along the lines with my same comments I am writing now that was censored in the Santa Clara Blog, Santa Clara News by Robert Haugh. I recently saw one comment about the praise of Councilmember Watanabe, One commenter here calls Watanabe a Guardian?? you mean the same guardian along with Mayor Gillmor that pushed residents in the northside to vote a billion dollar+ stadium that they now hate. Watanabe is clearly a puppet for the Gillmor machine and I wish she would be independent mind and not scripted.
Referencing Watanabe's quote "“Taylor Swift doesn’t live in the Northside. U2 doesn’t live in the Northside. They all get to go home. But the people are still there and the people have to deal with the repercussions of events going until 11 o’clock at night, families trying to go to sleep, dealing with traffic, helicopters, all kinds of issues.”......to be blunt, Kathy, you voted for it, you knew what you were doing, don't act surprised.... shoulda read the contracts closer before you promoted it.
I start to wonder if this was their plan.....hype up a stadium to get built at the taxpayers expense; find issues in contracts that they read and agreed upon, then act surprised when something does not go their way because their own lack of judgement. See ending for predictions.
Now......for votes, and popular public opinion they attack the very stadium they got built to now look like they are "the heroes"..."watching out for the taxpayers"...and honestly what the real scary part is..... everyone believes it and eats it up.....Why ? because Santa Clara voters have very short term memory or the oldtimers have left for better places because they saw the mess that was coming. The corporate shills got what they wanted at the taxpayers expense. Its kinda like a maniacal villain in a movie that creates a crisis to come back to act like the savior.
Santa Clarans For Economic Progress.
Remember when then resident and lobbyist for Measure J now Mayor Lisa Gillmor said it would bring $26 Million Dollars for our schools in the "Yes on Measure J" Commercials. With Kathy Watanabe, Debi Davis chiming in too before they were on the council. Remember all that money..... Well, flash forward to 2019 where the county awards huge tax appeal to the Niners. $31 million refund (there goes the schools money-little higher than Gillmor promised) essentially a $240 million tax break ($6 million reduction annually for 40 years) and its largest in county history according sources.
They failed us! Basically, our leaders were duped and were tricked right? Yes and No. the 49ers were just doing business, the City was just so eager to show city's of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland they wanna run with the big dogs too. Yet in 8 years, they have proven they can't run the stadium efficiently let alone the city. Maybe if there was better leadership years ago, maybe there would be a better stadium management organization than ManCo.
Gillmor, Watanabe, Davis, Matthews, Moore, Etc. should have never had no business in the stadium business and now a quartet on council are pretending they are champions of bringing justice to the mess they created. Once again I ask many to reference this word, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill
They should resign because they know their cheerleading led to the loss of all that tax money....they knew the contracts. Or just admit they are wrong, and they are fixing the mistakes. Its not all the 49ers fault, maybe they just saw a "money eyed" council years ago that would instantly put a stadium here. Think of all the time and how much loss Santa Clarans have endured because of these decisions. Think of more and more money for next 20+ years being spent for this tit for tat fighting between council/SA and the Niners.
The stadium could be a bigger success, yes there is mishaps, there was issues with the contracts. It can be fixed, but having witch hunts and creating mountains out of mole hills is what damages our reputation, it does not help us. We are known as a toxic place to do business. Personally, If I had it my way, the stadium authority should not be council members but community members with no political ambitions or past, and/or we should just sell the stadium to the 49ers and get what is owed.
All I know is if I would have done any of this, or any of this behavior, that there would be calls for my resignation.
Before they on the dais act like social justice warriors, they should look in the mirror and publicly admit their wrong doing because they clearly never knew the contracts or knew what they were rooting, voting or campaigning for. I was duped as a voter only because they asked us to trust them, the council, the city, and yes the niners. Yet we shoulda been smarter than that, but what was passed was passed.
Remember back in the day when then speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi said you have to pass the bill to read it regarding the Affordable Healthcare Act. Sounds very familiar and around the same time period (circa 2009/2010) with getting Measure J to pass. Why didn't they find these problems in the initial Measure J deal rather than 2019. Did someone not get their personal check or booster?
Remember...Current Mayor Lisa Gillmor was appointed to the city council to fill the empty council seat left by then elect Mayor Jamie Matthews as a reward for her work on the Measure J campaign.
Also recall these are the same individuals including lobbyist Jude Berry that had been pushing for "city place" a $6 billion dollar project on top of landfill (this project was never voted on by the residents...remember the stadium was a billion and we had to vote). Maybe Councilmember Watanabe will live on top of it and deal with all the traffic that will bring too !
Lastly, I will go back to the beginning of this comment where I wonder if it is part of their plan to see it fail. I personally am beginning to wonder if they want ManCo to fail, so then they can put who they want in there to manage the stadium. Let's look at that entire area. Across the street from the stadium is where the Related Project is "City Place" On the other side of the creek or slough is the convention center. Recently in a bold move the council fired the management of the convention center and replaced it with Spectra.
In a recent Council/Stadium Authority meeting City Manager Santana was giving a presentation and somewhat advice to ManCo where she said, an example of good management would be Spectra. Right there in this moment I figured, that is the goal is to get new management in there. Almost scripted like a film that tries to plant hints of the conclusion mid way through.
So if you see the bigger picture..... lets say.... if Spectra was to get the stadium management contract on top of the Convention Center they will control giant pieces of our entertainment district and be cozy right next to friend and ally Jude Barry's Related Project City Place. While the organization Spectra sounds like a James Bond title, the actions happening now seem like a plot in a James Bond movie.
Does anyone recall the actions council did last summer in changing the city clerks role without vote of the people ? Making the rules up as we go is the norm here. Everything is happening so fast so quick, it almost feels like a total takeover with a specific agenda.
All these lies coming from a decrepit old lobbyist and a two time election loser that can't balance his own empty check book. I am still pissed at the Mayor for voting Ahole Becker to the planning commission.
Everyone knows Miles has lost all of his influence in our fair city. The chamber doesn't want him, his crappy newspaper is almost gone, and no listens to his rants. His last act of defiance is being a schill for the niners. They love to use Miles for his newspaper. After all of Miles rants during last years election against Lisa and praising A Becker, Becker lost by a landslide.
Only traitors to the city would side with the niners. Becker has nothing to offer the city or anyone else and needs the influence of Patty, the niners, and even the failing Miles.
As far as noise curfew goes, this was contractually agreed to by all. The greedy niners need more money, so they have spent a fortune with lobbyists and campaigns to have weeknight events. This where Kathy Wantanbe defends the residents in her district from the overwhelming push from niners to destroy the families lives around the stadium. Her stance for the nothside is why she was elected and will be reelected.
All and all I feel the Mayor and council are what we need to keep the city for the residents. I appreciate them listening to the concerns of the residents in our changing city. They have my gratitude for pushing back and taking control of the stadium and the growth of Santa Clara.
Allen, if that is even your real name. I do not side with the 49ers, I side with Santa Clarans. Funny you have a lot to say and only insult like a child. You all try to paint me as a Niner candidate or Niner advocate but no one has proven anything, can you prove it? This proves leadership in Santa Clara is very immature and afraid of change and real reforms. At least my comments were not censored unlike the other news blog outlet.
There have been many times Miles Barber and I disagree, even Patty Mahan, but we respect each others differences, and they respect me. That is what makes America a great nation!
Yes, I Lost two elections, so what, at least I put myself out there, fought for what is right and at least I stood up for the quarter of the city that was actually informed versus the others that voted by name recognition, blindly or because others said to do so. You have to build a base and get to know the people, remember I am not supported by the special interests that you think. If you think so, they I would love for you and the rest of the doubters to PROVE IT!
By the way, me being on the Planning Commission is good for you and others because this is where the real 'Reforms' begin not the false hopes current leadership promises. Lisa made a good choice because picking me if she would listen to me, and sit down and see how millennials are ignored for the future.
And empty check book ? haha, well I do live paycheck to paycheck.... Guilty as charged.... but you know.... that is something a majority of Americans do. I don't have a trust fund, I don't have inheritance, and I am not of Santa Clara Royal blood, but I am working class, and I take that comment as very classist and elitist sounding. That at least proves that I am a man of the people rather than in the back pocket of developers, lobbyists, the media, and yes even the 49ers.
In the words of Rodney King, "Why can't we all just get along?"
Btw, love the A-hole remark (very immature) everyone has their opinion, just like everyone has an a.... well you know the rest.
Smiles, regarding the parking issues, it is not the duty of the city to pay any claim whether it is rightful or not. If there is a disagreement you fight back. And if they don’t fight back with city resources are you agreeing to pay for it yourself? They are doing what they were elected to do, represent the city and residents.
And the city has a right to ask for what the so sophisticated 49ers agreed to. Information on the operation of OUR stadium. Yes, I fought against it but it is here. We need to insist the 49ers live up to their agreements and provide information asked for by the auditors. The first mistake was bringing the stadium, the second is agreeing to let MANCO manage it. (mismanage is more like it.) And when MANCO screws up is the city supposed to provide cover for them? Or call them out on it? I prefer the second.
Abecker, it sounds like you are the one trying to create a crisis and claim to be the savior standing by. Bringing the stadium was a bad idea, not only because of the structure but because of the dishonest management team that came with it.
You try to blame the people that brought us the stadium for the tax refund but don’t make the case. If you are worried about that talk to Larry Stone. Why did he keep quiet for two months, and did he really fight the tax cut? Start digging there.
You were right about stadium management but cast the net too wide. You blame everyone but almost give MANCO a pass. “…a better stadium management organization than ManCo. Gillmor, Watanabe, Davis, Matthews, Moore, Etc. “ . Yes, MANCO should go, yesterday.
You asked “Did someone not get their personal check or booster?” Really? I accuse some of being too starry eyed, but dishonest? That’s a bit much.
Not all of us voted for J. I did not, but recognize it is here and the question isn’t what should we have done, it is what to do now? Should the mayor roll over and let the ‘smart business minded 49ers’ do whatever they want because she doesn’t want losers to criticize her? Or do the things that need doing in the best interest of the city? Often doing the right thing requires leadership and courage. It is being displayed by the mayor and council, you just don’t recognize it. Such as the way Kathy Watanabe stands up for the north side residents against the noise and other pollution brought by the mismanagement of the stadium.
And you think the mayor and council are trying to cause MANCO to fail? Where have you been? They have been failing for the last two years, at least!
To sum it up in context of the stadium, you are doing a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking. Speaking of regrets, I regret that the mayor voted for you to be on the planning commission. I don’t know if she regrets it but I know if I give a dog a biscuit and the dog bites me, no more biscuits for Rover.
Oh Howard....
I am there for Santa Clara, Santa Clara don't know it, you say I am creating a crisis? na, the crisis was created by those before me. I am just offering solutions and reforms to do it. Once again you may sit there and say Mayor made a poor choice picking me, but to be honest you know I may be more on your side with developments than you think , yet you don't take the time to sit down and actually talk to me. You only hear it from the rest.
You only bite the hand that feeds you when you know in your heart it's wrong doing. Mistakes or whatever you call it. When someone calls out something they paint the person as the villain. Truth has no temperature and therefore it cannot be adjusted. Why cant any one of them fess up and admit they made mistakes with the stadium and in result its probably why things are not working out well now.
All I know is if i was in charge, things would be way different. And the niners wouldn't get hall passes.
And the niners should not get away with whatever they want, you are totally missing the point and letting others pull the wool over your eyes. I keep telling everyone prove to me and the rest I am a Niner person. I may love football, but come on I am smarter than that when it comes to managing a stadium.
Like I said before, maybe you should sit down with me and listen to my ideas, listen to what I actually have to say rather that a third source. That development near your home I hear you, but you don't seem to hear me. Remember sometimes we can disagree only to agree on others things. Just like Lisa the mayor, she is a great person to joke with, but there is separation from business and personal stuff. Maybe if the mayor as well, sat down with me and had a convo about the Niners, Development and young people she would understand that we might not be on the same page but actually reading the same book.
And I agree that the tax cut from Larry Stone is a joke, but i blame all the management, leadership, and governance to casue all this. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I am truly afraid now that this will continue for 30 years of this revenge against each other, city v. stadium. People have had enough.
Ahh the delusional residents of Santa Clara. Both Watanabe and Gilmore came to my door saying how “great the stadium will be” I called BS to their face. Neither knew anything about the impacts of a pro stadium. I did and expressed my concerns throughout the election. Yet all of you sheep jumped on board and now are still so clouded by your own stupidity of not thinking for your selves you attack the guy that would have actually made change happen in Santa Clara. You schmucks will side with wrong so long as you look good doing it. Pathetic weak minded residents did this to Santa Clara. Gilmore and Co. just lied to you and you bought it hook line and sinker. Shane in you idiots.
Anthony, you see it as a personal attack. Really it's for you to understand that you're not qualified to make any of these types of decisions. I never had a trust fund or inheritance to help me along the way, but I was able to work in this valley and make a living to support my family like many others have done and still are doing today. In my mind you're struggling to exist. Without any applicable career experience or education, what qualifies you to make financial suggestions to the city? The city has many millions of dollars in many assets in different businesses and technologies. This valley has plenty of capable people with the proper education and work experience for these roles. I suggest you try to take that path.
In a way I feel sorry for you. I felt it was an injustice for Patty to prop you up to run against Lisa knowing that you weren't experienced.
I think it's commendable that you're on the planning commission. That's a way to build a solid base to contribute. Patty and Miles will get you nowhere.
G DiFilippo,
I also fought against measure J and had more than one 'No on J' sign grow legs in the middle of the night. I had to place one on top of my RV.
Fortunately it didn't turn me into a small minded, bitter person.
I would be tempted to think I was addressing aBecker but he doesn't have the gift of gab or ability to sling insults as well as you. But that doesn't make you right, just entertaining.
What in the world makes you think aBecker would make better decisions? Then, when he was what, 12 yrs old, or now? Hind sight does not equal courage or leadership. It is just that, hindsight.
Take a breath, G DiFilippo
Howard, I call it like I see it. A bunch of sheep followed the wolf to the pasture for slaughter. Anything would be better than the current leadership. This council can’t make anything happen. It’s all an act and they all got paid by York and crew. Now the act of being against the 49ers. The stadium is crap. Completely no forsite of where the sun sets for Christ’s sake. I appreciate your efforts against it but now is the time to hold those responsible accountable. A Becker has some great ideas and vision. Had you took time to research what he wanted you’d probably apologize to the dude. Gilmor was the biggest proponent of the stadium. Failed deals and broken promises. She’s got nothing done. As for insults. I call it like I see it. We’re a city of 90% sheep. 2% crooks and 8% level headed residents.
aBecker, I try not to form my opinions only based on what others say. It is not obvious you are in the pocket of the 49ers but your brief comments on TV regarding one of these differences you seemed to take the team's side vs ours.
I don't see the friction lasting a long time. Just long enough for the 49ers to understand they can't always have it their way.
Yes, I am sure we could find things to discuss that we would agree on and I do trust your integrity to execute your duties on the planning commission fairly and in the best interest the city. That doesn't mean I would have cast my vote the way the mayor did.
I do not think it is correct to blame the mayor for the tax issue. That was not predictable, IMHO.