The San Francisco 49ers are spending heavily in one of Santa Clara's two open City Council races this fall, and the candidate the team is backing says she never asked for the help.
Campaign finance filings reported by San José Spotlight show a political action committee sponsored by Forty Niners Football Company LLC has received $408,000 in cash from the team plus about $10,400 in in-kind services. Through Oct. 1, the committee reported at least $270,137 in independent spending supporting Kimberley Williams and $25,288 opposing Yvonne Inciarte. The two are competing for the District 2 seat now held by Councilmember Raj Chahal, who terms out in December.
Far more than the candidates have raised
The outside money towers over the candidates' own fundraising. Williams, a university administrator and president of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation, reported $5,938 in contributions through Sept. 25, including $3,053 in loans to herself. Inciarte, a government relations director who previously worked on intergovernmental strategy for Rep. Ro Khanna, reported $15,709.
Because the spending is independent, Williams has no say over the ads and mailers it pays for. She told San José Spotlight she finds the amount excessive and troubling for a local race, and worries voters will assume she is tied to the team or flush with cash. She said she had just finished hand-stamping 3,000 postcards herself.
Inciarte called the spending an attempt by the team to keep control of City Hall and said the 49ers should instead focus on booking more concerts and other events at Levi's Stadium, which she argued would bring the city more revenue and support stadium workers.
The team's position
The 49ers did not answer San José Spotlight's questions about District 2. A team spokesperson has previously said its political support goes to candidates it sees as consensus builders who will tackle affordability and manage city finances responsibly. The team is also spending in the mayor's race.
The other open seat
Santa Clara's District 3 seat is also open, with Councilmember Karen Hardy terming out and running for mayor. Planning Commission Chair Eric Crutchlow and Kyle Madej are competing there; the 49ers committee has not put money into that race, according to the Spotlight report. Earlier coverage noted that all four council candidates have named affordable housing, quality of life, public safety and aging infrastructure among their priorities.
Election Day is Nov. 3.