In what regional leaders call a first for American sports arenas, Levi’s Stadium will host World Cup matches and the Super Bowl in the same year — and the costs of making history are taking shape as Santa Clara officials work to secure the venue from threats. World Cup public safety costs could hover around...
Santa Clara candidates question ethics behind pledge
An independent ethics pledge is gaining notoriety in Santa Clara’s elections, while some candidates call it a political tool. The pledge — created by Tom Shanks, former Santa Clara ethics advisor and former executive director for the Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics — has been touted as a way to restore public...
Defense wants to subpoena Santa Clara mayor in perjury trial
The perjury trial of a Santa Clara official has yet to commence as defense lawyers seek more information on other city officials. Chris Montoya, public defender for Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker, filed a brief on Aug. 9 aiming to gather evidence allegedly showing Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor may have received an advance copy...
Sunnyvale on solid footing while neighbor strapped for cash
While one Santa Clara County city pinches pennies to make ends meet and juggles budget shortfalls, its neighbor to the west sits on a surplus that can easily cover its deficit. Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, although similar in size, couldn’t be more different in their approach to governing. Sunnyvale’s 2024-25 budget has a structural surplus for...
Santa Clara officials respond to being labeled ‘dysfunctional’
Santa Clara officials have to come to an agreement on how to respond to a report about how their disagreements and infighting have hurt the city. The Santa Clara City Council addressed the recent report from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury, which lambasted councilmembers for their inability to work together and claimed their...
Santa Clara asks voters to pass multimillion-dollar bond
Santa Clara voters will decide in November whether to give the city roughly $400 million for various infrastructure fixes around the city. The Santa Clara City Council approved the bond measure on Tuesday 6-1, with Councilmember Kevin Park dissenting. City employees originally proposed a $598 million bond, but councilmembers could only agree on a lower...
49ers dole out millions in Santa Clara community benefits
For a decade, the 49ers have worked to help uplift the community surrounding the city the team calls home. In an effort to recognize that work, they’re celebrating Levi’s Stadium’s 10th anniversary by launching “49ers Cares About Santa Clara,” an initiative to publicly show how the 49ers Foundation, team and stadium have affected the surrounding...
Santa Clara project pairs hundreds of homes with golf course
The owners of the Pruneridge Golf Club are teeing up hundreds of homes to be built alongside the nine-hole course — but first they must reconfigure it. Demmon Family Partnership filed plans with Santa Clara in mid-May to build two apartment buildings on part of the Pruneridge Golf Club, adding 324 apartments, of which at...
Santa Clara measure behind Levi’s Stadium scrutinized in new report
For the second time this week, Santa Clara politics are under scrutiny by the civil grand jury — but the report concludes the billion dollar Levi’s Stadium hasn’t strained taxpayers as some critics alleged. A third report from the Santa Clara County Grand Jury published Thursday has honed in on the city’s 2010 Measure J,...
Dysfunctional Santa Clara council at center of grand jury report
The Santa Clara City Council’s effectiveness is being called into question by a county civil grand jury report, alleging city officials’ disagreements have made life worse for residents. The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury published a Santa Clara-focused report on Wednesday, this time lambasting dysfunction and pettiness at city council meetings and detailing how...