By Robert Haugh
The 49ers are spending big again to control the Santa Clara City Council.
Yesterday, the team filed FPPC forms that show they’ve opened independent expenditure committee accounts totaling almost $1 million to win four city council seats.
If they win two of the four contested races, the team will maintain control of City Hall.
The Civil Grand Jury has criticized the 49ers for its spending in the Mission City and the 49er Five for siding with the team over residents.
The team’s preferred candidates are two incumbents who are part of the 49er Five: Councilmembers Suds Jain and Kevin Park.
The 49ers’ newest favored candidate is Albert Gonzalez who recently moved into District One and will run for the seat vacated by Councilmember Kathy Watanabe.
In 2020, the 49ers spent $1 million each on independent expenditures for Jain and Park. That year, they also spent $1 million to help elect Councilmember Anthony Becker.
Becker, Jain and Park had lost a combined six city elections before the team spent substantial money to help them. City Council campaigns typically spend less than $25,000.
The team has not created an account to help Becker who is on the November ballot. But he’s currently under indictment for felony perjury. Jury selection in his trial has just started.
According to sources in his district, Becker is not campaigning in District Six. He is likely on the ballot because Becker thinks it may help provide a bargaining chip with District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Deputy District Attorney Jason Malinsky in a plea deal.
The 49ers have created an account to oppose District Six candidate Kelly Cox. That account can be amended later to support a candidate.
According to multiple sources, Becker has revealed that if and when he drops out, the team will support another District Six candidate George Guerra, a Becker ally and confidant.
The team doesn’t want to offend Becker while he’s on trial by supporting another candidate. Becker may point fingers at team executives for the Grand Jury leak that he’s on trial for now. Or Becker may know of other potential violations that the team may have committed that are not currently known by prosecutors.
Santa Clara voters will likely start to see 49er-funded political communications soon.
Editor’s Note: The 49er Five are Councilmembers Anthony Becker, Raj Chahal, Suds Jain, Karen Hardy and Kevin Park.
Jed York spent $3 million in November 2020 to help elect Becker, Jain and Park. They were previously 0-6 in Santa Clara elections. Chahal and Hardy have received gifts from the team without reporting them and received $1 million each for their elections in November 2022.
In 2022, the team spent approximately $2.5 million for Becker in his failed attempt to unseat Mayor Lisa Gillmor.
The 49er Five met with the team on an almost weekly basis and have voted to help the team win millions of dollars in concessions from the City since December 2020.
[…] September 12, Santa Clara News Online (SCNO) broke the story that the 49ers created committees to spend nearly $1 million on Santa Clara City Council campaigns […]
Sucks, Pork, Pecker, Godzilla, Butcheria & Gorilla are all puppets of Jed York who wants to Massacre residents of Santa Clara. High time that residents realize their game plan and throw these idiots where they belong. They are disguised as Hyenas want to pouch on poor residents.
Suds Jain text to Becker. MARCH 2021
“They [lisa and Kathy) communicate with each other using their coffee mugs.”
MIT???
https://www.sfexaminer.com/our_partners/education-leader-albert-gonzalez-is-the-best-choice-for-santa-clara-city-council/article_f01c8584-71ef-11ef-998b-bb35426c046a.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-latest
It has begun
Oh and this is what people need to know about Albert’s glowing report card by his benefactor, Jed York:
Ad Paid for by Committee to Support Gonzalez and Oppose Chandra for Santa Clara Council District 1 2024, sponsored by DeBartolo Corporation & Affiliated Entities, Including Forty Niners Football Company, LLC.
Ad top committee funder: DeBartolo Corporation & Affiliated Entities, Including Forty Niners Football Company, LLC.
Suds says, “We can only expect biased one sided reporting from Robert Haugh.” But what stings him isn’t Robert reporting facts we think are relevant, what stings him is what the citizens think of him and his selling us out. What stings is the citizens coming for him with verbal torches and pitch forks. Getting nervous, suds?
Careful Howard.
Remember the Jain formula
Ryan swatted an opponent of his.
Burt Field was also subject to police reporting.
Suds is the guy who hates the police but calls them from the mansion when a stray cat opens the garbarge can
Wake up Santa Clara if you think this is the only round of spending that Jed York is going to make then you are wrong. Money will continue to pour into these campaigns and the only losers here are the residents of Santa Clara and you can thank your favorite 49er 5 councilmembers who will do anything to support York. Do your homework and vote for candidates who actually care about our community. The only thing these 5 are good for is wasting our money and creating long term irreversible damage to our city. Suds you would rather waste your time in negotiations with a football team instead of hearing from your own residents about the issues affecting them.
Good advice but don’t forget about the dark horses in the district races. 49ers are good at hedging their bets putting an additional candidate in a race they are worried about. They did it in 2020 in the District 6 race putting a Republican candidate, Gautam “Gary” Barve in to take almost 2000 votes away from Rob Mezzetti who ran against Becker. Becker won by a small margin. Barve moved to the East Coast after the 2020 election and ran unsuccessfully for City Council and Congress in Virginia and recently lost a Congressional race in Florida. His reward for helping Jed out.
And then nightmare Harbir Bhatia is running without the support in 2020 from Jed. Guess they didn’t like her nastiness putting her in a timeout on NextDoor. Bad look for a candidate. AndGeorge Guerra hiding in the District 6 shadows waiting to see if his buddy Anthony Becker gets “sent to jail, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200.”
The 49ers have a plan. If they can put up two candidates in a seriously contested district to win they will do it. Why? They got deep pockets and need a major ROI. Don’t forget 2026 is around the corner. What can they get from a corrupt council that they help elect?
PAY ATTENTION. The 49ers are doubling down that voters aren’t paying attention.
PROVE THEM WRONG!
It’s a sad story if you think about it. Becker has done a lot for the team. But Jed will only go so far for Becker. Money for a campaign. Sure. Not a big deal to elect a lot of folks for big ROI. Becker is just one of the pawns. Lining up Fondo for defense. Sure because no one knows the team is involved…. officially. And Fondo is there to dig up dirt on others and keep Becker from straying … from pointing fingers. Becker’s defense was and is always second fiddle. Does it really hurt Jed’s rep of Becker does time. No, not really. But Jed needs to create some distance now. He won’t want to be connected anymore to a convicted felon running for re-election. That’s why George is waiting to sub in. It’s kind of a mob rule. You don’t talk about others to get yourself out of a charge. Becker is following the rules whether he knows it or not. He probably doesn’t know it. He’ll take the fall. Maybe Becker gets something down the road. Probably not. Jed is not stupid. He’s got his own rep to worry about. Becker in prison doesn’t matter to Jed’s financial bottom line. Or the team’s win-loss record. So Becker doesn’t matter anymore.
Suds- If you truly are opposed to 49er sending money to help get you re-elected, then write an open letter to the 49ers stating you want no part of their IEP.
But of course, you would never do anything like this. Which makes your word hollow.
Suds Jain would not only sell Santa Clara’s political soul to the devil, he would send it, c.o.d. jain wsnrs city to violate policy by sending a community grant to a group who never filed, the group is run by Bhatia, who receuved 600 from Jain in 2020. Jain used his official email address to accuse a former disabled teacher of never working. Jain also compared a disabled man to a presfential assasin. His investmenrs are mostly fossil fuel industries. Jain arranged for low cost sale of Loyalton. Why? A contributor wanted it. Now at a site near Loyalton, Rare Earth Minerals are beeng mined.
Suds has his flat screen paid for by the very solar companiea he urged Santa Clara to spens your money to link with. York has investments in 30% of companies Suds has stock in
To Jed York
We renounce and reject any Independent Expenditures made or to be mafe by you on our behalf. Your involvement in Santa Clara elections has led to a divided community. You have damaged the respect our citizens have to local government.
Further expenditures in support of us will lead to our opposition to future issues involving the 49ers.
Suds Jain
Kevin Park
Anthony Becker
Albert Gonzalex
Habir Bhatia
DOTHEY HAVE THE GUTS TO DO IT??
Suds Jain’s closest ally is Michele Ryan who swatted a political opponent in 2012.
Jain ally Kevin Park has led the fight against the establishment of an Ethics Commission which completely eliminate IE commitees.
Jain hates the POA. I led three campaigns against POA but I like the officers and leaders personally. They, like their mrmbers, brave people.
Poa members are ecpected to give their lives to protect people. Admirable.
Anytown USA…….Imagine you are a private citizen who disagrees with his/her city council and decide to attend a city council meeting to exercise and exercise their constitutional right to free speech and work up the guts to make a public comment. You then out of the blue are subpoenaed to testify in court as a result of your public comment that was in no way threatening or out of line, but because you don’t agree with their politics. That is what has happened to a very devoted member of our community who is now being publicly dragged into a courtroom in our own drama with the 49ers and Jumpsuit Becker. The 49ers are pro bono (somehow this is legal???) supplying high power attorneys who have abused their subpoena powers to harass and intimidate private citizens who have dared to speak publicly against the 49er5 and the 49ers ownership. They quash free speech and those who want to speak at city council meetings and they KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT. How many have decided NOT to speak and NOT to either run for council or volunteer positions lest they be dragged into court and humiliated by political opponents.
Suds, as an elected official please don’t come on this blog and spew your BS if you aren’t willing to respond to those who respond to you here. This blog is for an exchange of information, not a politburo-styled forum for politicians.
To Jeff Rosen and DA Investigators….please keep digging
Observation,
You are spot-on to call out Suds for spewing his “BS if you aren’t willing to respond to those who respond to you here.” Suds NEVER debates or exchanges ideas with commenters of this glorious form of communication. I’ve often challenged Suds to respond to my posts….crickets….nada…
Suds is a Zombie and does not debate in a forum in which he voluntarily engages.
Because he cannot.
Whether due to incompetency or handlers on the 49ers preventing him to speak, the result is the same. Suds drops a statement in this forum like my dog drops a deuce and just walks away.
Anyhoo, I agree with your sentiments. Jed has a dog leash with a choke collar on puppy dog Suds.
Reminds me the days of old…. Suds is listening to “His Master’s Voice”–Jed.
https://rca.imgix.net/1598361629-his-master-voice.jpg
Wow… as I read these comments I am very proud to be a resident of our City.
Kirk Vartan is one of my hero’s and I personally took offense to the then Vice Mayor of our 49er Council insulting him from the Dias.
That date was Feb 7,th 2023.
Thank you for Youtube, Mr. Park and Mr. Becker you can say whatever you want to say, but this is on video and it makes you both look so, so bad.
Mr. Vartan you will always have my respect, you have earned it.
Why no one else at the meeting spoke up is another troubling question, but as Karen Hardy says, “Who needs ethics”?.
Truly November can’t come soon enough.
Burt Field
The question Santa Clara voters have to ask is: What does Jed still want? My guess is that he needs 4 votes to get Santa Clara to use City and Stadium Authority public dollars to subsidize his booking of the Super Bowl and World Cup for the $200 Million upgraded suites that he owns. It’s interesting how he is able to spend millions to keep his votes on the council right after the council members that he owns give him sweet heart settlements. It just shows how much money they left on the table in approving the settlement. And how disingenuous their mouthing of 49er talking points sounds to the voters that they have a duty to represent.
Suds, you state you never have taken money directly from the 49ers which I believe to be accurate. However, why is it that they continue to support you with hundreds of thousands of dollars? It’s because you continue to vote in their favor on virtually everything that benefits them financially. In my opinion, this is tacit approval of them backing you. You just bury your head in the sand and say they can do what they want, I have no control over them. If you are truly ethical you would loudly denounce their financial support and try to win an election on your own merit. (Oh wait, that didn’t work). You continue to point fingers at everyone who does not agree with you. You point fingers at the POA for working to defeat the ridiculous charter amendment that you and your cohorts wasted $500k of our money on. Do you honestly think that they would just stand by and watch it happen? You mention Related, at least Related is building in our city. What they are doing is creating opportunities for businesses to open and add to the city tax revenue. Your buddy Jed just continues to take from our city and by his continued support of you and your cohorts he expects a return on his investment.
The clock is ticking down to Nov 5th.
Jsin is the symbol of arrogance. He thinks he is the savior of democracy. In fact, this multi millionaire is the nemsis of drmocracy.
Jain has NOTHING in common with the common citizen. He believes his records are not for public review and that he is entitled to meet in secret with any one.
Jain is the type of politician that brought us the Great Depression, the Vietnam War, Watergate.
The 49ers are confident that a useful idiot like Jain will allow them power.
Jain even pervted the late Mahan and Alquist’s view, SANTA CLARANS TO VOTE.
This November, vote Jain out.
Send him back to trumpet more useless ideas.
WTF is wrong with Albert Gonzalez? 49ers made him an offer he can’t refuse?
Brian Doyle told a story at Aug. 30 council meeting how Sameena Usman was approached by 49ers to run for city council in 2020 and offered $250,000 to fund campaign. She passed the slimy deal to Harbir Bhatia who lost.
So Gonzalez got the same slimy deal??? The 49ers approached him??? The devil is certainly in the details and Gonzalez sold his soul to the devil. What a model for the SCUSD children.
Point is don’t trust Gonzalez or Bhatia who’s running again (Ha! Ha!) for District 1.
Don’t trust Park, Becker, George Guerra or Jain.
Just clean up the City Council already!
Send the traitors packing!
Here is the Great News…in fact saving grace for sure.
We are a small City. Had we been in San Jose, would have been just that much more difficult.
Remember
The 49ers (Carpet Baggers) have one simple goal.
Make more money for the 49ers.
How that is done is really simple.
Increase revenue, and / or decrease overhead.
The two work hand in hand.
We all know how any company can increase revenue, TV, Radio rights, ticket prices, merchandise, drinks, food, parking etc.
To Lower your overhead can be more challenging. Many can’t be cut, so you just have to get someone else (Us) pay those cost.
Think, Taxes, Rent, Game Day security, Maintenance of the Stadium etc.
Be prepared, you are about to be inundated with a ton of misinformation.
Why? Simple, it worked in the past.
Just understand who is paying for what and then vote the other way.
Clock is ticking
Nov 5th is just 55 days away. Please register to vote if you have not done so already. It is really easy to do, how do I know that… even I figured it out!!
Then when you vote, please consider these 6 people when you place your votes in the next local election.
Better Days are ahead.
We need to take control of our future and sooner is way better than later.
Bob O’Keefe City Clerk
Cory Morgan Chief of Police
Satish Chandra Council D1
Teresa O’Neil Council D4
David Kertes Council D5
Kelly Cox. Council D6
Thanks Burt Field
We can only expect biased one sided reporting from Robert Haugh. You can look at my election financial statements. My campaigns have never taken any money from any special interest — not even the League of Conservation Voters. During elections I have zero communications with anyone from the 49ers. Of course I meet with the 49ers outside of election season. Gillmor has not had any meetings with them since 2016 according to her public calendar. That’s not what a skilled negotiator would do.
I wonder why Robert never talks about how much money the POA spends on elections in Santa Clara or why they skipped the interview process completely and only endorsed Gillmor candidates. The POA spent $51,602 on the No on Measure B campaign while the Yes on Measure B campaign spent only $4,300.
Finally, why did our intrepid reporter not even mention this committee: ” Committee to Elect Chandra, O’Neill, Kertes, and Cox to City Council 2024, Sponsored by Related Santa Clara, LLC” Gillmor is very close to Related.
I am very opposed to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizens United and am opposed to all the spending in Santa Clara by special interests like POA, Related and the 49ers.
Jain fits the Lenin rule so well
USEFUL IDIOT.
ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR JAIN, and he is concerned. Jain is the Von Papen of Santa Clara
When you lose in November, Suds Jain, wash Lisa Gillmor out of your “hair” and stop taxing your brain with your obsession of her.
Suds,
I am glad to see you write here that you are opposed to special interest election spending by the Forty Niners and the SCPOA and Related and others.
Have you ever communicated to anyone with the Forty Niners that you want them to not spend any money on supporting your reelection?
SANTA CLARA IS NOT FOR SALE!@
All of you out there. LISTEN AND ACT.
You have a computer or smart phone
You have a phone.
Call City Hall.
Leave that message.
Ballots coming to you in two weeks
Vote against Jain, Park, Becker
You have paper, pen, postcards
Email, mail
Simple message
Santa Clara is not for sale.
Go to cpuncil meeting on 24th. Simple 15 second talk.
Stare down Jain, Stare down Park, Stare down Becker.
Look this is a council manger city.
Who cares if their opponents are characters.
Out with the trash, then work with clean government.
You see a house smoking, you ask everyone to help. EVERYONE
I will put aside my opposition to Mr Haugh, my opposition to his blog. SANTA CLARA IS AT STAKE. We can fight later.
I disagree with Kirk Vartan all the time.
But now Vartan has a mission. Now I regard Vartan aa an Arthurian kinight. Give Vartan his podium. SANTA CLARA IS NOT FOR SALE.
No more Jain patronizing or Park funny time.
SANTA CLARA IS NOT FOR SALE.
We all knew this was coming. Jed York is desperate to hang on to power in the city. He planted a guy in District 1, backs the clown shows in D4 & D5 and very suspiciously just “opposes” Kelly Cox in D6. He can no longer back his useful idiot that will soon be on trial so he will wait in the wings and very soon back a two faced, snake in the grass in an effort to retain control of our city.
Santa Clarans, pay attention to what’s going on. Jed is playing us for fools with his money. Show him on Nov 5th that Santa Clarans are much smarter than he thinks.
I’ll say it again, if Jed York under the guise of the 49ers is supporting a candidate, they are WRONG for Santa Clara.