Santa Clara Group Lobbies For Support On New 49ers Stadium

Host Of City Power Brokers Dot First Political Mailer In Support Of New 49ers Stadium

The main group backing Santa Clara's new $937M stadium for the 49ers "recently sent out its first political mailer" to local residents, with a "host of city power brokers dotting the pamphlet," according to the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The six-page mailer "urging support for the stadium was put out by Santa Clarans for Economic Progress, which will serve as the political front for the team as the inevitable campaign unfolds." The lead group opposed to the project, Santa Clara Plays Fair, "quickly hit back last week in an e-mail circulated to Santa Clara residents titled, 'Let the Games Begin: the slick campaign to make Santa Clarans subsidize a 49ers stadium.'" The City Council is expected to decide next Tuesday when to put the stadium measure on the ballot, "with the betting money on June." Meanwhile, Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese has been "working feverishly to get the county's 15 cities to submit formal resolutions in support of San Jose's bid to bag the A's." A's Owner Lew Wolff in his search for a new ballpark has been "careful not to annoy" MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, or "publicly push too hard for a decision on the proposed stadium site in downtown San Jose." The key question on the matter is whether the Giants' "territorial claims to Santa Clara County -- which so far have kept the A's from moving -- can be revoked" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 11/29). Love of the Game Productions' Marty Lurie said of the A's possibly looking at San Jose, "I don’t think they’re worried about people. They want the corporate sponsorship. They want the big money of Silicon Valley." He added, "They want to build things around the stadium. This is also a real estate deal as well” (“Chronicle Live,” Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 11/27).

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS? In S.F., Matier & Ross report Oakland boosters are "ready to present Major League Baseball with four possible sites for a new A's ballpark." Sources indicate that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums will tell MLB, "We have the site, we have the community and business support, and we have the political unity to get the job done." The group -- led by U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer's son Doug -- has been lobbying MLB "hard to keep the team in the city." As a result, MLB has "sent in a three-member commission to take a look at possible sites." Wolff has already reviewed most of the sites and "considers them unworkable" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/30).

CLEANUP ON AISLE FIVE? In San Diego, Matthew Hall reported the downtown San Diego bus yard being studied as a possible site for a new Chargers stadium has been the "subject of a county environmental investigation since 1986." The environmental damage at the site "could require an expensive cleanup that might mean delays for any development." It is unclear "who would pay for a remedy that could run into the millions of dollars," and Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani indicated that "excessive cleanup costs could lead the Chargers to look elsewhere for a new stadium." Fabiani previously noted that a "site cleanup would probably be part of the stadium project, but the extent of the damage wasn't widely known" until last week (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/28).