SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS have sunk millions of dollars into November’s Santa Clara city elections to decide its future government.
The San Francisco 49ers have spent the most money supporting who the team wants sitting on the City Council, burning $2.3 million so far. Other special interest groups include the Santa Clara Police Officers Association, Santa Clara Firefighters Union and developer Related Santa Clara. The police union is the second largest spender and has put more than $96,000 into council races. The 49ers have been primarily spending to oppose candidates backed by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and the police union — and support its preferred candidates. Meanwhile, the police union has been spending to support its endorsed slate and oppose others.
The Santa Clara City Council has four seat up for grabs on Nov. 5 in Districts 1, 4, 5 and 6. District 1 Councilmember Kathy Watanabe is terming out, with three candidates vying for seat. The other three districts have incumbents looking to secure another term.
Councilmembers Kevin Park, Suds Jain and Anthony Becker are running for reelection. Former Councilmember Teresa O’Neill is challenging Park for his seat in District 4, David Kertes is running against Jain in District 5 and Kelly Cox and George Guerra are both challenging Becker for his District 6 seat. Harbir Bhatia, Satish Chandra and Albert Gonzalez are competing for the open District 1 seat.
Santa Clara voters will also have to choose their next police chief and city clerk, with both seats open this year. Santa Clara Police Department Lt. Cory Morgan is running against San Jose Police Department Lt. Mario Brasil to take over as Chief Pat Nikolai retires. City Clerk Hosam Haggag did not file for reelection, and product manager Poornima Gopi, real estate agent Steve Kelly, retired California Highway Patrol Lt. Robert O’Keefe and businessman Paul Tacci are vying for the open seat.
The 49ers
Santa Clara voters are no strangers to high election spending, especially from the 49ers. In 2022, the team spent more than $4 million helping Becker challenge Gillmor for the mayor’s seat, and backing Councilmembers Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy in their reelection campaigns. While Becker was defeated, Chahal and Hardy both won a second term.
This year, the NFL team has opened its wallet again. The millions spent have bought polling, consultants, mailers, texts and online advertisements. The team is opposing Gillmor-backed candidates Chandra, O’Neill, Kertes and Cox — and supporting Gonzalez, Park, Jain and Guerra.
Ellie Caple, a spokesperson for the 49ers, declined to comment on the substantial sum of money and reiterated support for the team’s preferred candidates.
“Our organization is proud to continue to support a diverse slate of candidates running for city council this year,” Caple told San José Spotlight. “We are glad to see that the current council has effectively managed the city’s finances, reduced the city deficit and continues to serve our community.”
Advertisements on Facebook and websites tout the candidates’ track records and experience. For Gonzalez and Guerra, it was their experience on the Santa Clara Unified School District board and the city’s Parks and Recreation Commision, respectively. Facebook ads also reveal arguments against other candidates, such as Chandra’s past support for former President Donald Trump, despite Chandra’s renouncement.
The 49ers’ push against Gillmor’s candidates is unsurprising in light of their decade-long feud, which has included multiple lawsuits and cost the city millions.
Related Santa Clara
Related Santa Clara, a local branch of the New York City real estate firm The Related Companies, has a large stake in Santa Clara. The developer has been working on an estimated $8 billion mixed-use project next to Levi’s Stadium, and is a longtime Gillmor supporter.
Related Santa Clara representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment.
When California was pushing Related to pay workers prevailing wages in 2022, Gillmor penned a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking the state to reconsider. Then, Related spent six figures to support her reelection.
On Oct. 15, Related reported expenses that were made as late Sept. 30 — seemingly breaking state laws, which require independent expenditures of $1,000 or more within 90 days of an election to be filed within 24 hours.
This year, Related created a committee to support Chandra, O’Neill, Kertes and Cox, and it’s spent $90,000 in advertising to support those candidates. That money has gone to mailers, Facebook advertisements and a website.
Police, firefighter unions make endorsements
Police union President Jeremy Schmidt said residents should pay attention to who is supporting which candidates in this election, emphasizing the association has residents’ best interests in mind.
“I don’t really care where their support comes from, I have a steadfast commitment to do what’s right for my organization and what’s right for the people in the city of Santa Clara. I can tell you that myself and my people put our lives on the line every day to prove it,” Schmidt told San José Spotlight. “We don’t just dip our hands into the money pile of the city.”
The association has endorsed Chandra, O’Neill, Kertes and Cox and has been spending to support them, as well as spending to oppose other candidates. This has included Facebook advertisements, websites and mailers.
Facebook advertisements paid for by the police union showcased the three Santa Clara Civil Grand Jury reports about the city and City Council. They repeat the report’s claims that the three incumbents — Park, Jain and Becker — have bullied public commenters, and emphasized Becker’s ongoing perjury trial.
While the police union is the second top spender, it’s only spent about $96,000 to date.
“When you look at the campaign overall, we are in a David versus Goliath position funding-wise,” Schmidt said. “We just have to be strategic about what we do and when we do it because we really have a responsibility to maximize our dollar based upon the playing field.”
Representatives from the firefighters union didn’t respond to requests for comment. The union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1171, has spent $31,067 to support Cox, Kertes and O’Neill, as well as the city’s $400 million infrastructure bond.
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at sakura@sanjosespotlight.com or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.