Looking to boost local businesses, Mountain View is planning to host watch parties and other community events to draw visitors to the downtown area during the Super Bowl and World Cup this year. At a Dec. 16 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the allocation of $295,000 to fund activities related to the mega-sporting events. With the money, the city plans...
2025 in review: Silicon Valley’s biggest stories
It was a transformational year for Silicon Valley. A county assessor’s 30-year reign came to an end. Two city leaders were sentenced in court. Superintendent firings and mass layoffs rocked a host of local schools. And a judge brought an end to a historic transit labor strike. But for each chapter that was closed this...
San Francisco steals South Bay’s Super Bowl spotlight — again
An official lineup of Super Bowl fanfare events largely snubs the South Bay in favor of San Francisco — 50 miles north of where the game will actually happen. San Jose appears just once on a list of NFL-endorsed concerts, meet-and-greets and press events announced by the Bay Area Host Committee, the region’s major sports...
Santa Clara County scrambles for Super Bowl security funding
Santa Clara County didn’t ask to host next year’s Super Bowl. But the cost of protecting the event from terror attacks could exceed its available cash in an unprecedented budget crisis. County leaders say President Donald Trump’s administration is withholding millions of dollars in disaster preparedness funds, some of which are needed to plan and...
Santa Clara fights for piece of Super Bowl pie
The small Bay Area city hosting the 2026 Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup wants to make an impression as the world watches. That may be difficult when it’s sandwiched between San Francisco to the north and neighboring San Jose to the south with their big budgets and competitive intentions. Santa Clara is determined not...
Santa Clara’s Super Bowl 60 spurs competing halftime shows
Next year, the Super Bowl halftime show is poised to bring Bay Area football aficionados and music lovers together. But for the first time, fans of all kinds will have two performances to choose from as politics takes center stage. Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist who’s become one of the most-streamed musicians worldwide, was...
Silicon Valley hospital workers train for Super Bowl threats
San Jose hospital workers scramble into hazmat suits. Others carry stretchers through disoriented crowds into bright yellow tents, where they prep a decontamination process for people critically injured by a chemical bomb. That was the scene for three hours Thursday at O’Connor Hospital, where health care workers ran a mass casualty drill in the rain....
Santa Clara looks to billboards to make money from sports events
Santa Clara residents can expect to see more advertisements in their neighborhoods as the city prepares to host major sports events next year. The Santa Clara City Council unanimously approved an advertising agreement with New York-based Outfront Media earlier this month, in preparation for the 2026 Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup at Levi’s Stadium. Outfront...
Santa Clara will be reimbursed millions for hosting Super Bowl
Santa Clara will get millions of dollars back for Super Bowl costs, thanks to an agreement between the city, a sports nonprofit and the San Francisco 49ers. The Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board — comprised of the City Council — voted 5-2 Tuesday to approve the final 2026 Super Bowl agreement, which includes a roughly...
San Jose pulls out all the stops for 2026 sports bonanza
With major sports events bringing worldwide attention to Silicon Valley in 2026, San Jose is preparing to host a global audience and dazzle its residents. City leaders are pulling out all the stops to ensure San Jose get the recognition and economic benefits as it hosts a slate of sports events, including the Super Bowl...