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Santa Clara lawmakers are not pleased with the loss of revenue from non-NFL events at Levi’s Stadium, and they say it’s due to sloppiness on the part of the San Francisco 49ers’ management. An accounting report presented this week to the Stadium Authority, a legislative body comprised of Mayor Lisa Gillmor and other elected leaders, stemmed...
Major political changes coming to Santa Clara City Hall
One incumbent councilmember is out. Three new faces are in. And Mayor Lisa Gillmor has lost her stronghold on the Santa Clara City Council. “You’ve got a unique city because they have so much potential in Santa Clara and all of it is being squandered on personality,” said political consultant Rich Robinson. “This election is...
Santa Clara council candidates, 49ers, police union point fingers over campaign donations
The San Francisco 49ers have now poured millions more into a campaign to unseat Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s allies on the Santa Clara City Council — drawing the ire of the city’s police union. The NFL team initially invested $250,000 into a PAC to help elect Anthony Becker, Suds Jain, Harbir Bhatia and Kevin Park. The...
Santa Clara lawmaker calls herself environmental candidate but owns lucrative oil and coal stock
Teresa O’Neill has touted herself the environmental candidate for Santa Clara City Council but a review by this news organization found the councilmember owns up to $1.02 million in stocks in oil and coal-mining companies, according to her recent Form 700 disclosures. On her ballot statement and in various interviews, O’Neill has cited fighting climate...
Santa Clara approves new financial tracking for 49ers, Levi’s Stadium
After years of finger pointing and court battles, Santa Clara lawmakers approved a new way to keep tabs on Levi’s Stadium and the 49ers’ financials. Most recently, the city and 49ers have clashed over who owes money to whom. The 49ers, which manage Levi’s Stadium, say the city owes $2.74 million for losses from non-NFL...
Santa Clara candidate kicked off Nextdoor after ‘politically motivated’ posts against her
Santa Clara City Council candidate Harbir Kaur Bhatia about a week ago discovered posts on Nextdoor that propagated false information about her. “The people that are pushing this message are people in collusion with each other to ensure my credibility is destroyed,” Bhatia told San José Spotlight. While Bhatia, a candidate challenging Santa Clara Councilmember...
Agrihood’s urban farm housing project poised for spring groundbreaking in Santa Clara
With the final funding in place, Agrihood’s urban farm housing project in Santa Clara can move forward after years of planning. Receiving a state grant of $50 million in tax-exempt bonds from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee on Sept. 16 put the project on track for a March or April groundbreaking, officials said. Occupancy...
Questions swirl about Santa Clara candidate’s lobbying record, relationship with mayor
As the race for two open seats on the Santa Clara City Council heats up, documents obtained by San José Spotlight raise questions about one candidate’s relationship to the mayor and his lobbying activity. Robert Mezzetti, a longtime San Jose attorney, is facing Anthony Becker and Gary Barve in the District 6 council race. Mezzetti...
49ers drop $250,000 to defeat mayor’s allies on Santa Clara City Council
One day after San José Spotlight reported a developer funneling money through the Santa Clara police union to elect allies of Mayor Lisa Gillmor, her archnemesis — the San Francisco 49ers — threw in six figures to defeat them. The 49ers on Sept. 30 dropped $250,000 into a committee called Citizens for Efficient Government and...
Lawsuits detail claims of civil rights violations by Santa Clara council candidate
During his law enforcement career, Santa Clara City Council candidate Bob O’Keefe became the subject of two lawsuits claiming he violated people’s civil and constitutional rights, according to court documents obtained by San José Spotlight. One man arrested by O’Keefe for allegedly buying jet skis using a false identity was later found factually innocent, which...