With two weeks before the June 3 special election, two
polls showed the 49ers stadium bond measure trailing, but by
different margins. A new Chronicle/KRON-TV poll shows that
the stadium bond measure trails by 9%, according to Matier &
Ross of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Pollster Mark Baldassare, who
conducted the poll over the weekend: "It's in trouble."
Overall, the poll of 600 San Franciscans found that 47%
oppose the stadium plan, 38% support it and 15% remain
undecided. The poll's margin of error is +/- 4%. For the
49ers to win, Baldassare says that they need to reach all of
the undecided voters -- two thirds of whom are women --
"something they haven't been able to do so far." Among the
"key group" of those likely to vote, the stadium measure has
fallen behind 17%, six points higher compared to a similar
poll in March. Of likely voters, "only" 34% said they
support the bond measure, 51% oppose it and 15% are
undecided. 49ers Stadium Campaign Manager Jack Davis
"immediately challenged" the poll numbers and added that an
in-house survey showed the stadium trailing by 8% among
likely voters (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/20). A survey conducted on
May 14-15 for KPIX-TV had the bond proposal down by 4%, with
18% undecided. The poll surveyed 600 likely voters with a
margin of error of +/- 4% (S.F. EXAMINER, 5/20).
DANGLING A SUPER BOWL: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
plans to announce Thursday that the Super Bowl will be
played in San Francisco in 2002 if the stadium measure is
approved, according to Epstein & Yoachum of the S.F.
CHRONICLE. The word from Tagliabue was "the latest in a
series" of three incentives that were "piled on" to voters.
Earlier, S.F. Mayor Willie Brown warned that the city faces
a $60M repair bill for 3Com Park if the stadium proposal is
defeated, and 49ers Owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. raised the
prospect of the city losing the team to L.A. (S.F.
CHRONICLE, 5/20). Matier & Ross: "As some sports analysts
see it, Los Angeles may be the team's best hope for striking
a stadium deal if voters reject the Candlestick Point
measure June 3. ... [And] from the looks of things, the
49ers already have much of the ammunition they need to walk
away from their Candlestick lease" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/21).
THREE AND OUT? Yesterday, Mayor Brown announced a deal
for a privately issued insurance policy on the city's
planned $100M lease-revenue bond issue, but added that the
49ers could leave as soon as three years from now if the
stadium measure fails. Brown says the city doesn't have the
money for repairs to 3Com Park, which must be agreed upon by
June '98 or it would be in violation of the team's lease
(Edward Epstein, S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/21).
FOREVER YOUNG: 49ers QB Steve Young filmed a TV ad
Sunday in support of the team's stadium/mall project at
Candlestick Point (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 5/20).
