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49ers' Preseason Game Goes Off Without Incident At Candlestick Park

The 49ers hosted the Texans for a preseason game at Candlestick Park on Saturday, and there was “no repeat of the ugly fan mayhem that a week earlier had marred the annual 49ers-Raiders showdown," according to Mark Emmons of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The combination of a “beefed-up, visible police presence and new stadium rules designed to curb alcohol consumption contributed to a subdued atmosphere at the sparsely attended game.” S.F. police said that it was “a very quiet night.” NFL Chief Security Officer Jeffrey Miller, in the Bay Area to attend Saturday's game and Sunday's Saints-Raiders contest, said, “The police have put in place an exemplary plan to make this a safe environment going forward." S.F. Police Chief Greg Suhr declined to reveal specific numbers, but he said that there was a “40 percent increase in officers deployed” at Candlestick Park. Uniformed officers “could be seen patrolling on foot, bikes, motorcycles and in vehicles." They also “manned every stadium entrance alongside an increased number of security personnel hired by the 49ers.” In addition, the team “didn't open up the parking lot until four hours before the game and cleared out tailgaters at kickoff.” DUI checkpoints “were set up after the game” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 8/28). In S.F., Crumpacker & Ho noted there were “no reports of violent incidents” at Saturday's game," and the 49ers' new policy on tailgating “seemed to be having the desired effect." Parking lots at Candlestick “did not open until 1 p.m., and fans had to be in the stadium by 5 p.m. or leave the premises.” 49ers Dir of Corporate Communications Steve Weakland said that team officials “will keep track of season-ticket holders who sell their tickets to preseason games, as well as those who behave badly.” He indicated that the team “will not hesitate to revoke the season tickets of unruly fans” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/28). Miller spoke in advance of attending both the 49ers and Raiders preseason games (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/27).

SEEING THINGS FIRST HAND: 49ers President & CEO Jed York sat in the Candlestick Park stands for part of Saturday's game, and he noted he was able “to talk to a lot of fans" while there. He said, "It’s one thing to say that you think that your stadium is safe, and you want to up your security. It’s another thing to sit up there with your wife and show that it’s safe, and I want to make sure that everybody understands that last week was an anomaly.” He noted the fans he sat by "know last week was just an anomaly." York: "This is not how it normally is. We know it’s a great place to watch a game. There are so many people with their families, and it was just nice to meet everybody’s families." He added, "A lot of people apologized and said, ‘We’re sorry that we didn’t step up and take care of things last week, because that’s just not how we act. That’s not what we do.’ They were thankful that I was out there and showing that I support them and that I believe in the safety that’s here. I believe in the fan friendliness that’s here, and this is a great family environment” ("Texans-49ers," NFL Network, 8/27).

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? In San Jose, Tim Kawakami noted Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask’s efforts to build a shared stadium for the NFL's two Bay Area teams “have not generated traction, so far, and the violent events surrounding the Raiders-49ers exhibition game last Saturday at Candlestick Park have only served to highlight the complications.” Getting Raiders Owner Al Davis, 49ers Owner the York family, their separate fan bases, the NFL, the financiers and the municipalities of either Santa Clara or Oakland “all on board simultaneously was always going to be a thorny prospect.” After the Raiders-49ers game, it “seems like a pipe dream, though, publicly, both teams maintain that the dual-stadium concept remains under discussion.” Asked if the fan violence “made the shared-stadium issue trickier to solve,” Trask said, "Nothing in that regard has changed. We continue to maintain an open mind with respect to the possibility of sharing a stadium." She added, "We have ongoing discussions with the 49ers" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 8/27). Meanwhile, in S.F., Al Saracevic noted 49ers officials insist that the team "can build a new home next to its current headquarters, in Santa Clara, opening in 2015.” But 49ers execs “have raised only a little over $250 million to spend on a project that will come close to $1 billion to build, if not more.” Beyond the “stark financial picture, questions are emerging about the traffic and parking realities surrounding the Santa Clara proposal.” A traffic consultancy study “contends the 49ers' proposal overestimates available parking, underestimates how many people will drive to the games and exaggerates the proposed stadium's proximity to mass transit.” The study was conducted by Abrams Associates Traffic Engineering Inc., in response to a request from S.F. Planning Commissioner Mike Antonini (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/28).

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