By Robert Haugh

Tomorrow’s Council meeting includes an item to fund approximately $1 million for Levi’s signage at Levi’s Stadium.

This item is buried in the consent calendar. 

The item is extending the contract for Levi’s signage “interim repairs” to $670,000. This is for repairs to a Levi’s sign.

The 49ers have an existing agreement with Bear Electrical Solutions, Inc. for Maintenance and Repairs, but it has a Not to Exceed limit of $250,000 per year.

They are proposing a budget amount of $420,000 to cover the cost of the “approved interim repairs as part of the FY 22/23 SCSA Capital Expenditure Project titled Levi’s Naming Rights Existing Signage Lighting and Driver Repair Project.” 

So the yearly fees increase from $250,000 to $670,000. Wow. 

And the team wanted the Stadium Authority to pay for it. It’s estimated to cost $1.3 million. 

That’s money that could potentially go to the City’s general fund. So that means Santa Clara taxpayers would be paying for a new Levi’s Stadium sign by calling this a “repair.” Levi’s is responsible for replacing a sign. This gets the company off the hook.  Double wow.

Councilmen Anthony Becker and Kevin Park were pushing hard for the public to pay for a new sign even though that’s the responsibility of the Levi Strauss company.

There’s also over $55,000 in spending for 49ers stadium management employees to attend conferences in Las Vegas, Orlando and Washington, D.C.  Here are the junkets:

• $13,400 for a conference at Caesar’s Palace. This includes hotel, airfare and food for four.
• $9,800 for a conference in Las Vegas in June — four stadium employees.
• $11,600 for a conference in New Orleans — four stadium employees.
• $10,600 for a forum event at a location not yet announced in February 2023 — four stadium employees.
• $13,650 for an NFL Guest Services and Security Conference in D.C., for six stadium employees.

Here are other items on the agenda:

• Closed session Conference with Legal Counsel-Existing Litigation —Jesse Scott, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated v. Santa Clara Stadium Authority, Santa Clara County Superior Court Case No. 21CV386790
• Closed session Public Employment Appointment — Title: City Manager
• Study Session – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Presentation on the Architecture and Site Layout of the Proposed Santa Clara BART Station
• Proclamation of National Public Works Week 2022
• Recognition of Outgoing Youth Commission Members FY2021/22
• Action on Appointment of Youth Commissioners for the FY2022/23 Term
• Presentation by Senior Advisory Commission on the Upcoming “Be Strong, Live Long” 2022 Health & Wellness Fair
• Action on a Council Written Request Submitted by Vice Mayor Suds Jain Requesting to Place an Agenda Item at a Future Council Meeting to Discuss Whether SBL Contracts Should be Sold on Extra Field Seats
• Public Hearing: FY22/23 Annual Action Plan (FINAL) for the Use of Federal Housing and Urban Development Grant Funds