Santa Clara City Council Gives 49ers 30-Day Notice On Documents
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) -- The Santa Clara City Council voted Tuesday evening to issue a letter to the San Francisco 49ers demanding documents for an audit on Levi's Stadium operations.
In a unanimous vote, the council, which also serves as the city's Stadium Authority Board, decided to send the 30-day notice to the team's Stadium Management Company for documents required under Measure J, which was passed by voters in 2010 to build the sports arena.
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said, "We own the stadium. You cannot keep that information from us."
The mayor is trying to ensure the 49ers are not using taxpayer money to pay for operating costs, which would be a violation of voter-approved Measure J.
Many people packed Tuesday night's city council meeting wearing green arm bands and holding signs that read "Follow the Law." That message was directed at the 49ers to hand over financial documents to the stadium authority.
"There isn't anything in the agreement that prohibits the stadium authority board -- the elected officials -- from viewing these documents and have them be the property of the stadium authority," said Gillmor. "That makes absolutely no sense."
49ers President Al Guido maintains that, "No stadium in the country releases this information."
Gillmor is demanding that the 49ers turn over detailed financial information about concerts and other big events held at Levi's Stadium.
"We will not release it no matter how many times they ask or threaten or say that we should," Guido said.
Gillmor said, "It's not personal. It's not political grandstanding. It's what the citizens have asked us to do."
The 49ers say they've already let city staff and a team of auditors review the documents at their headquarters.
But the team says their contract with the city clearly states that releasing the information to the public would put the stadium at a "competitive disadvantage" and that every effort should be made to insure that "proprietary information" is "not released."
Guido said, "I would say we're protecting the citizens of Santa Clara and anyone who benefits from the general fund. So, it doesn't make that [sense] the mayor wants this information, it's spelled out in our agreement that we don't have to release these documents."
But the mayor disagrees and is threatening to take control of the stadium if the 49ers don't comply.
Gillmor said, "It's puzzling to me. It's puzzling to our residents. These are the contracts they signed and agreed to."
Tuesday evening, the 49ers Director of Corporate Communications Roger Hacker issued a statement that read in part, "Tonight's decision was expected and continues a disturbing trend of frivolous and groundless actions by the Mayor and her allies on the Council, putting politics ahead of civic responsibility."
The statement continued: "We met with City staff last Friday to review all Management Agreement requirements, and they confirmed that we have complied fully. If they would like to receive information in a different format, they simply need to sit down with us and discuss, which would be a far better method of communication than discussing first with the press."
The dispute could be heading to court.
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