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INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Assistant City Manager Responsible for Stadium Has No Government Experience, Potential Conflict of Interest with 49ers

By Robert Haugh

One of Santa Clara City Manager Jovan Grogan’s first major hires was Assistant City Manager Chuck Baker.

Baker was hired on December 11, 2023. He will primarily be responsible for Stadium Authority-related operations and projects, including Super Bowl LX and the 2026 World Cup.

The announcement of Baker’s hiring was a surprise to a lot of people in local government. Many government employees outside of Santa Clara were unaware of the job opening. 

City staff said that it was advertised in many places and over 100 applicants applied.

Baker was previously a Microsoft Business Development Director. He has no local government experience. Baker’s base salary is $350,000, not including benefits.

When hired, the City Manager’s office circulated information that said Baker serves on these boards and commissions:

  • Chairman of the Board of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, 
  • Board Trustee for the Home Builders Institute
  • Commissioner for the Oakland – Alameda Coliseum JPA Commission

In mid-December, days after Santa Clara News Online (SCNO) asked for additional information about Baker’s background, he resigned from the Coliseum Commission.

In mid-January, after SCNO asked if Baker’s role in the other two nonprofits created a potential conflict of interest, Baker suddenly stepped down as Board Chair of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.

But he remains on the Board of the Home Builders Institute.

“The City Manager is aware of this ongoing relationship and has determined it is not an incompatible activity,” City Communications Director Janine De la Vega said of Baker and the Home Builders Institute.

De la Vega said it’s a workforce development organization based in Washington, D.C.

But neither Baker nor City Manager Grogan would comment about any potential conflict with 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.

After numerous requests, they provided no comment on when or why Baker stepped down as Chair but is still on the Executive Board of the organization.

SCNO has discovered that the 49ers are the largest single funder of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.

When Baker was Chair, the team gave the organization a $100,000 contribution, over 11 percent of the group’s annual budget.

The next largest contribution was $75,000 from Bimbo Bakeries.

“Given that the new Assistant City Manager will oversee operations of a stadium leased to the 49ers, it would not be wise for that individual to have any outside relationships with the 49ers organization,” said John Pelissero, the Director of Government Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

“The continuing relationship between Mr. Baker and the nonprofit organization that receives funding from the 49ers may appear to some to be a conflict of interest.”

Pelissero had some additional advice.

“Perhaps the best way to demonstrate that the Assistant City Manager will act in the public’s interest may be for the individual to leave the board of the nonprofit that benefits from the 49ers donations,” said Pelissero. 

“The City Manager’s office should be viewed as acting and making decisions that are in the public interest and not in the private interest of any party.”

7 comments

  3. I said it before it”s the 49er 6, Grogan now the six member on the 49er team. Prediction, Grogan and Baker will be at the upcoming Super Bowl game, fact finding mission ! Ya right.

    Reply

  4. “The City Manager’s office should be viewed as acting and making decisions that are in the public interest and not in the private interest of any party.”

    You guys know the SCPOA is a private entity, right? Someone made CPRA request revealing personal text messages between Grogan and SCPOA’s president, Schmidt. Grogan is the #1 negotiator for union salaries and benefits, he should not be interacting with police officers aside from official manager-employee capacity. Schmidt is a low-level employee, he should be going to his first-line supervisor (Lt.) and run any ideas or concerns through departmental hierarchy and refrain from commenting to the City Manager about politics or observations of City Council Members/Meetings.

    By City policy the Mayor and City Council are not supposed to be plotting and scheming with city employees. Gillmor and Watanabe were strategizing with police officers at their club house this past weekend, that should cease and both elected officials rebuked. Nikolai was also in attendance; if his subordinate officers have concerns with future police leadership they should have requested through their supervisors (Capt.) to meet with them direct and not involve City Council Members.

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    • The 49er 5 have had many meetings with stadium management and flaunt it. So it’s okay to have double standards when it benefits Jed York?

  5. Mr. Haugh…
    My guess is, this is the same group that thinks it’s a great idea to get rid of the Elected Police Chief and City Clerk.

    The “No on B” vote will be a Jonathan Kuminga slam dunk.

    Question, is there a list of the people who are responsible for putting the 49ers in charge of watching over themselves? That’s what the The Stadium Authority is suppose to do.
    No smart group would ever think it’s a good idea to put the “Fox in charge of watching the Hen House”.
    How long has it been since our City has been paid any performance rent on any event?
    Answer is…. Just before the 49ers lost their court case to try and lower their own rent. Just about 4 years ago.
    So just last Aug, the San Jose Spotlight stated very proudly that our City made $33 Million in the two nights that Taylor Swift came to town last Aug, fantastic, how exciting!!!

    But how much did the 49ers pay our City in Performance Rent for those two nights?
    Yes you are correct!!! Nada, zero, nothing…. not even a cricket or two.

    Burt Field
    burt.field@gmail.com

    Reply

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