49ers officials have "ramped up their spending on local political races in the past year, alarming critics who fear the NFL heavyweight is wielding too much influence" over Santa Clara's City Hall, according to a front-page piece by Joe Rodriguez of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. A group of team execs "spent about $11,500 last fall to help elect the mayor and two of the six City Council members as the team seeks city approval to take over a youth soccer park for stadium parking and other development plans" around Levi's Stadium. The team's heightened interest in city politics "comes at a crucial stage as the 49ers prepare to host Super Bowl 50 in February." Campaign spending reports show that 49ers co-Chair John York, COO Al Guido and several other execs "wrote personal checks last year of up to $500 each" to the campaigns of Mayor Jamie Matthews and City Council members Dominic Caserta and Patrick Kolstad. In all, Matthews' campaign "received at least $4,250" from 49ers execs. Caserta "received $5,000 but returned $1,500, and Kolstad collected $3,750." The totals were from '14. The 49ers' spending in local campaigns "is legal and not unexpected for a major business whose fortunes will be affected by city decision-making." Despite the contributions, the 49ers' investment in Santa Clara politics "hasn't necessarily paid off." The team's recent efforts to secure city approval of its proposal to take over the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park for $15M in advance rent and $3M to fix up local school fields "hit quicksand at City Hall after a majority of council members sided with outraged soccer families." The team has since "upped its offer but has yet to secure an agreement with the city" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/22).
