City Council Preview

By Robert Haugh

Among the array of items on the joint City Council meeting of Tuesday, January 24 include adopting a resolution to make Santa Clara a sanctuary City, Great America hours and easing the ability to add attractions and some interesting Stadium topics.

The Stadium Manager will make a presentation on the 90-Day Outlook Calendar of Events at Levi’s Stadium. This could prove to be interesting. Perhaps we will see what events will require turf replacements? Or curfew extensions?

Stadium Community Room
If you’ve looked over the “community room”rental guidelines, you’ll discover it’s priced out of range of almost any community organization. We wonder how much the 49ers charge themselves for their own hosted events such as the Pasta Bowl?

This item sets specific rental procedures for the community room at Levi’s Stadium. We wonder – have any events been held in this room?

Sanctuary City

Vice Mayor Dominic Caserta has requested the adoption of a resolution “declaring the City as a City of Hope for immigrants and declaring the City’s policy against local enforcement of civil immigration laws, while permitting cooperation with federal agents in situations involving public and serious crimes.”

We wonder if this is because Caserta is running for higher office.

Great America Expanding Hours

Great America has proposed increasing operating hours, extending the operating season, modified operating practices, additional hours of operation, and construction of a year-round commercial/entertainment district that would comprise up to 250,000 square feet of building space (100,000 new square feet beyond existing) that would be open to the general public outside of the theme park gates of the Great America Theme Park and amphitheater.

This is great for jobs in the City, and also will make Great America more profitable, which means more tax money and rent payable to the city. The only issue might be late-hour noise, so certain attractions may need to be excluded in the expanded hours. We wonder if this will give the park more revenue to improve their property.

Budgets

Budget Principles for 2017-18 and dates for public hearings regarding the budget will be approved.

We think the stadium budget will provide fireworks. We wonder if the council will see how much is spent on grass at the stadium.