By Dr. Tom Shanks

Editor’s Note: This column is reprinted with permission from Dr. Tom Shanks’s LinkedIn page.

In Santa Clara, California, Jed York and the San Francisco 49ers have spent big on local elections over the past fifteen years — and the payoff has been more than just a shiny, city-owned stadium. They’ve also nudged their way into control of City Hall and even influenced local newsrooms, silencing watchdogs that once kept power in check.

Since 2020, the San Francisco 49ers have systematically captured 5 (of 7) City Council seats through massive (though legally permitted) independent expenditures. In a city where campaigns traditionally respect a $30,000 ceiling, the 49ers shattered that norm with multi-million-dollar spending, at least $7.5 million in two recent elections.

Research shows that virtually every proposal favoring the team now passes 5–2, driven by a bloc informally dubbed the “49er Five.” Stadium contracts, financial settlements, and operational changes sail through even in the face of resident protests. That majority, with staff assistance, is even dismantling Santa Clara’s award-winning ethics program — an initiative that I helped implement from 1998 to 2015.

Multiple civil grand jury reports documented the corrosive impact of all of this on public trust and recommended practical ways to restore ethical leadership and public trust. The 49er Five rejected virtually every recommendation.

The Media Betrayal That Made It Possible

The 49ers’ political successes might have faltered without control over the narrative. Court depositions reveal that 49ers executives identified Ramona Giwargis of San Jose Spotlight as a “go to” journalist who would print favorable stories. Simultaneously, San Jose Mercury News publisher Sharon Ryan sits on a board alongside 49ers owner Jed York, while the paper largely neglects or buries reporting on ethical lapses and potential corruption in Santa Clara. The 49ers are also among the newspaper’s biggest advertisers.

On the editorial side, the paper has endorsed every 49ers-backed candidate — including Anthony Becker, who was later convicted of perjury for leaking a confidential grand jury report to the team. Historically, the Mercury News editorial board would retract endorsements or denounce unethical behavior even from candidates it had endorsed. That standard seems to have eroded entirely when the 49ers are in the mix.

From Researcher to Watchdog

I’ve been tracking the 49ers’ incursions into Santa Clara governance for years as part of a broader ethics research project. Over time, I’ve raised alarms about the team’s media influence. Last year, I compiled and sent detailed documentation to Ryan, (Mercury News Editorial Editor) Daniel Borenstein, and Giwargis. I also filed complaints against the Mercury News and San Jose Spotlight with the Trust Project and the Institute for Nonprofit News — organizations that monitor journalistic integrity and are featured prominently on their news websites. The reaction? Silence.

But when watchdogs become lapdogs, we must each do what we can to advance ethical leadership and protect public trust. That’s why, starting next Tuesday, September 30, I will begin publishing a series of articles about this incredible situation. It is a case study that challenges ethical norms and smacks of corruption in Santa Clara.

Please dialogue with me about these important issues. In governance and ethics, sometimes sunlight is the only disinfectant.

Dr. Tom Shanks is the founder and owner of The Ethics Company and the former Executive Director of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Ethics Center.