San Francisco, CA
Why do the San Francisco 49ers want the Santa Clara Stadium Authority to pay $620,000 annually for a new office?
As the Santa Clara Stadium Authority looks to finalize its more than $60 million operating budget this week, a $620,000 request from the San Francisco 49ers to cover the cost of a new office is causing concern.
The move of the team’s business staff from Levi’s Stadium to a 52,000-square-foot space on Great America Parkway was driven by the need to consolidate everyone into one place to make them “a more efficient organization,” Alex Acton, the 49ers’ director of finance, told the Stadium Authority Board at a meeting last week. The board is made up of members of the Santa Clara City Council.
Acton said the office is being occupied by 49ers employees “focused on driving revenue” to the Stadium Authority — the public governing body that oversees Levi’s Stadium. The NFL team serves as the manager of the stadium, booking non-football events and supervising day-to-day operations.
The 49ers originally looked for a space at Levi’s Stadium that could accommodate all of its business staff, but Acton said there wasn’t anything large enough to fit everyone in a “continuous square footage manner.”
“We have people on our team that really know and understand the real estate market, and we feel we really made a really good deal at a really good time,” Acton said of the new office, noting that the rent is “below market rate for North Santa Clara.”
Acton did not disclose the total rent price — the Stadium Authority will cover a share of the cost.
But Santa Clara spokesperson Janine De la Vega said that city officials are recommending that the board reject the 49ers’ request to cover the office in the upcoming budget.
“If, at any point, we determine that Stadium Authority funding for any portion of the off-site office space is appropriate, staff would bring that back to the board for their consideration as a budget amendment,” De la Vega said in a statement.
City Attorney Glen Googins said at a March 4 meeting that the 49ers have pointed to “a fairly broad definition in the management agreement for what constitutes manager operating expenses.”
The agreement defines manager operating expenses as “reasonable and necessary expenses and expenditures of whatever kind or nature incurred, directly or indirectly, by the Stadium Manager in promoting, operating, maintaining and managing the Stadium.”
But Googins said there’s nothing in the agreement that he believes “provides for (the office) cost to be passed through” to the Stadium Authority. The city attorney said they previously didn’t incur a cost related to office space since the 49ers managment employees had been working at Levi’s Stadium.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor told The Mercury News that she worries there will be “financial consequences for years to come for our public” if they have to take on the cost of the office space.
“Any costs you add, any expenses added to the Stadium Authority, reduces the money that ultimately flows to the general fund,” she said.
The council, acting as the Stadium Authority Board, is expected to discuss the issue Tuesday night.
Originally Published:
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
Advertisement
So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
Advertisement
They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
Advertisement
Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
Advertisement
Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
Don’t miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It’s completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
The 4,140-sq-km bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the US. Before 2018, this species of whales wasn’t known to stop seasonally or consistently in the bay, bypassing it on their migration route down to Baja California and back up the Arctic, said Josephine Slaathaug, who led a recent study on gray whale mortality in the bay.
One of San Francisco’s busiest freeways remained shut down Saturday, creating major traffic delays and dampening business for some local restaurants and shops.
All eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 just before the Bay Bridge are closed as crews work around the clock to rehabilitate the roadway. The 55-hour shutdown, which began on Friday night, is scheduled to last until Monday morning in time for the commute.
The closure has forced drivers onto detour routes, leading to heavy congestion for those trying to reach the East Bay, including Oakland and Berkeley.
The impact is being felt beyond the roadways.
At MoMo’s, a restaurant across from Oracle Park, staff found business noticeably slower.
“A little bit more mellow than usual. We usually see a little bit more foot traffic, a little bit more people on Saturdays,” said Daniel Bermudez, executive chef at MoMo’s.
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
“The weather is beautiful today. It’s nice and sunny. So we have plenty of tables outside,” he said.
With the San Francisco Giants playing an away game, the restaurant had hoped fans would still gather to watch, but turnout during game time remained light.
“This is kind of like our off-season Saturday. A lot slower than our baseball weekend,” said Casandra Alarcon, general manager at MoMo’s.
Other small businesses in the Mission Bay and South of Market neighborhoods reported similar trends, saying most of their customers are regulars who live nearby rather than visitors.
“A little bit slower for sure. Before, we had tourists come and walk to the baseball park,” said Ajaree Safron, manager at Brickhouse Cafe & Bar.
Caltrans has shut down eastbound lanes between 17th and 4th streets to repave the 71-year-old roadway. The goal is to extend the life of the Bayshore Freeway by another decade.
City and transportation officials said the timing of the closure was intentional, noting fewer major events scheduled in San Francisco this weekend, aside from the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Westbound lanes remain open, and officials said traffic heading into San Francisco from the East Bay has not been significantly affected.
“Getting into the city, it wasn’t too bad. Regular [traffic], what we expect on a Saturday morning,” said visitor Andrea Inouye.
While the closure has posed challenges for businesses, some workers said they are taking it in stride.
“Hopefully, it’s not for too long and we get past it, and get back to our normal routine,” Bermudez said.
Despite early concerns about widespread gridlock, transportation officials said the region has avoided the worst-case scenario. Traffic remains heavy in areas near detours, but the anticipated “carmageddon” has not materialized, in part because many drivers chose to avoid the area or take public transit.
-
Connecticut2 minutes agoCEA Testimony Unravels Under Basic Questions at Finance Hearing
-
Delaware8 minutes agoViVA Awards luncheon celebrates service across Delaware County
-
Georgia20 minutes agoGeorgia Tech salvages finale vs. North Carolina ahead of UGA matchup
-
Hawaii26 minutes agoHawaii Snorkel Tour Hits Rough Waters After Tourtist Allegedly Stabs Boat Captain | Oxygen
-
Idaho32 minutes agoThe Camas Prairie is Biblical Idaho
-
Illinois38 minutes agoHas Trump’s approval dropped in Illinois amid Pope Leo feud? See polls
-
Indiana44 minutes agoOp-ed: Healthy rural communities strengthen all of Indiana
-
Iowa50 minutes agoSen. Chuck Grassley shares he’s recovering from gallstone surgery