Feb 12, 2020
There was a lot of stuff that happened at the Council meeting last night. But we have to lead off with a closed session item. This is big news. And it was only one spoken sentence at the Council meeting last night. City Attorney Brian Doyle said: “In closed session, the City Council unanimously authorized the termination of the stadium…
Jul 25, 2019
We all know Santa Clara is a great place to live. But not if you’re on the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) Board Trustees. Last week, Annette Gonzalez-Buttner was ordered to stand trial in Imperial County. She’s accused of falsifying documents in 2017 that said she lived in that county. She was allegedly living in Santa Clara with her…
Jun 4, 2019
We broke the story that 49ers Exec and Stadium Manager Jim Mercurio had a conflict of interest because he has stock in VenueNext, a stadium vendor. We found that info on his Form 700. That’s the economic interest form he’s required to fill out because he makes decisions on behalf of a government agency, the Stadium Authority. That may be…
May 7, 2019
We broke the story that 49ers exec and Stadium Manager Jim Mercurio looks like he has a serious conflict of interest. He makes decisions about stadium vendors and one of them is VenueNext. The company is a “sports and entertainment technology integrator.” Mercurio bought or received between $10,001 – $100,000 of stock in VenueNext. Click here to read the…
May 1, 2019
The Stadium Authority found out that the 49ers/ManCo had violated state prevailing wage laws. The team got a “breach of contract” warning from the Stadium Authority on March 28, 2019. They were supposed to “cure” the problem in 30 days. They didn’t. So last night, Stadium Authority Attorney Brian Doyle told the Board that he issued a “Notice of…
Apr 30, 2019
Last year, 49ers Stadium Manager and Exec Jim Mercurio had to fill out a Form 700. As we reported, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) ruled that the Stadium Manager for the 49ers stadium management company must fill out Form 700 — just like an elected official. It’s the form that lists financial interests so the public knows if…
Apr 29, 2019
Tomorrow’s Stadium Authority meeting will see an update on a major stadium issue. Notice of Breach of Management Agreement The Stadium Authority Board will receive an update on the On April 21, 2019 Notice of Breach of Management Agreement. At the time of the staff report, the Stadium Manager has not cured the breach. Click here to read what…
Apr 26, 2019
By Robert Haugh We’ve been trying to get County Assessor Larry Stone to answer some important questions about last year’s 49ers assessment tax appeal case. That decision gave the 49ers a huge tax break. According to our sources, it may be one of the biggest cuts in Santa Clara County history. Some people estimated the total hit to be…
Apr 23, 2019
By Robert Haugh Disgraced former City Councilman Dominic Caserta hasn’t been in a classroom since May 2018. But the Santa Clara Unified School District is still paying him. Caserta has been on paid administrative leave since multiple allegations about sexual harassment and abuse came out last year. According to SCUSD staff, Caserta gets approximately $12,000 a month. Read the full…