Related vs. 49ers on Santa Clara political gridiron

The San Francisco 49ers have put $1.2 million behind a mayoral challenger and other candidates in Santa Clara municipal elections while developer Related Companies is backing incumbent Mayor Lisa Gillmor.

The money flowing into Santa Clara politics from the 49ers and real estate interests comes weeks after the city settled a lawsuit with the team over the management of Levi’s Stadium, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

West Coast affiliates of New York-based The Related Companies have poured $100,000 into the war chest of the city’s mayor, with real estate interests organizing on Gillmor’s behalf. The mayor, a full-time real estate broker, owns properties across the region.

The 49ers have stepped up their campaign to support city council members who support the NFL team.

This year, it formed independent expenditure committees to back Councilmember Anthony Becker’s mayoral campaign and councilmembers Karen Hardy and Raj Chahal’s re-elections. Two years ago, 49ers owner Jed York poured $3 million into a political action committee to help elect Vice Mayor Suds Jain and council members Kevin Park and Becker.

The 49ers have spent $383,907 to date on ads supporting Becker for mayor. The team also spent $218,344 to support Hardy, and $227,100 to back Chahal, according to campaign filings pulled by the Mercury News.

The team spent another $385,788 to oppose Gillmor, Christian Pellecchia, the former board chair of the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce who is running against Hardy, and resident Larry McColloch, who is contesting Chahal.

In a statement, 49ers spokesperson Rahul Chandhok said the team is “proud to support this diverse set of candidates who are dedicated to fixing the $27 million deficit created by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her political machine, which has been funded for decades by billionaire developers, at the expense of public-school teachers, affordable housing and voting rights.”

Becker, Hardy, Chahal, Jain and Park have taken heat from residents over their frequent meetings with the team, as well as their votes to oust former city manager Deanna Santana and former city attorney Brian Doyle, both adversaries of the NFL team.

The San Francisco 49ers is mostly owned by Co-chair Denise York and her family, worth $5.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Real estate interests have responded with a determined defense.

This month, developers Related California Residential and Related Santa Clara, subsidiaries of The Related Companies, filed paperwork to form a committee to support Gillmor. Since then, they’ve poured $100,000 into her campaign.
The Related Companies is owned by Stephen Ross, the majority owner of the Miami Dolphins football team and big political spender.

Last year, he spent more than $1 million on New York City Council races, largely opposing progressive candidates. In 2019, the billionaire hosted a fundraiser that helped former President Donald Trump raise millions for his failed re-election campaign.

Related California has become a major player in Santa Clara real estate and will soon break ground on an $8 billion, 9.2-million-square-foot project near Levi’s Stadium to contain 5.7 million square feet of office space, 1,680 homes, 700 hotel rooms, and 500,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.

The mayor has been a strong supporter of the development.

Evette Davis, a spokeswoman for the Related-backed committee, confirmed the independent expenditure committee to support the mayor’s re-election bid, but declined to comment further. Gillmor could not be reached for comment.

— Dana Bartholomew

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