The San Francisco 49ers have launched two new political action committees in Santa Clara, pouring $980,000 into local races during August ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to campaign filings reviewed by SFGATE. The spending spree comes as 49ers owner Jed York deals with the fallout from an arrest in an Ohio prostitution sting operation, and it marks a continuation of the team’s multi-million-dollar involvement in South Bay municipal politics since Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014.
The Santa Clara Mayoral and City Council Spending
Filings examined by SFGATE show that the Forty Niners Football Company LLC sponsored a pair of political action committees set up by the 49ers under the designation “Affordable Santa Clara.” Serving as treasurer for both entities is Ellie Caple, who holds the position of vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for the organization.
In the six-candidate race for mayor, the team dropped $645,000 on Thursday into an independent expenditure committee. Jihad Beauchman, the team’s chief legal officer, is listed as the person representing the team in the contribution. The 49ers committee is supporting candidate Gary Ferraris while explicitly opposing two other contenders: David Kertes and Kathy Watanabe, according to SFGATE.
In the District 2 City Council race, the team dropped $335,000 on Tuesday into a separate committee supporting Kimberley Williams and opposing Yvonne Inciarte. This brings the team’s total August spending to $980,000, deployed more than two months before Election Day.
Background on Team Political Involvement and Grand Jury Scrutiny
By 2023, the team’s total spending on local elections had reached $13.1 million, according to data from the Bay Area News Group, with additional funds added since then. The most prominent previous effort occurred during the 2022 mayoral election, when the team spent more than $2.5 million trying to defeat incumbent Mayor Lisa Gillmor and back Anthony Becker.
That 2022 race ended in a narrow victory for Gillmor, but it coincided with a civil grand jury investigation into team spending. A draft report titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” was leaked before its official publication, leading to criminal charges against Becker. Becker was convicted of lying under oath to the grand jury and felony leaking of a grand jury report.
Despite the scandal, the 49ers have successfully helped elect as many as five of the seven members of the Santa Clara City Council. A 2022 civil grand jury report alleged that those council members “engage in unethical behavior, lack transparency in their governance, and govern as if the City Council owes a fiduciary duty to the 49ers as opposed to the City, which they were elected to lead.” SFGATE notes that since securing a majority favorable to the franchise in 2020, the governing body has dismissed both a city manager who voiced objections about team President Al Guido and a city attorney who claimed team representatives breached conflict-of-interest regulations.
Candidate Positions and Local Reactions
Gary Ferraris, the mayoral candidate backed by the 49ers, is a longtime city maintenance worker and labor representative who works for Council 57 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. In an interview with the San Jose Spotlight, Ferraris stated that the political tension on the City Council represents one of the biggest problems in Santa Clara and said he wants to prioritize improving relationships. His campaign website also states that he believes “political insiders” pose an issue in the city.
Kathy Watanabe, a former City Council member who frequently voted alongside Mayor Gillmor against the team’s wishes before terming out in 2024, is one of the mayoral candidates explicitly opposed by the 49ers’ new committee. Watanabe told the San Jose Spotlight that she had met with team President Al Guido earlier this year to try to improve the city’s relationship with the franchise, though that meeting occurred before the team’s independent expenditure committee targeted her campaign.
David Kertes, another mayoral candidate opposed by the 49ers committee, is a longtime Santa Clara resident, community advocate, and sales director at biohealth tech company Novanta who has served on multiple city boards and commissions.