By Robert Haugh
The Bay Area Host Committee just got a big bailout.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday that federal agencies are sending nearly $60 million to help cover 2026 World Cup costs tied to Levi’s Stadium. That includes about $51.1 million from FEMA for security and public safety, plus $8.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration for transit service.
That’s good news for Santa Clara, as long as the Mission City gets reimbursed for its expenses.
It’ll be up to the City Council to make sure the 49ers and the Bay Area Host Committee reimburse the city for every dollar owed.
The Chronicle deserves credit for uncovering the new funding. Its reporting also underscores a larger point: the BAHC’s history has been too sketchy for anyone at City Hall to take promises on faith.
Santa Clara has been stuck with a murky financial picture from the start.
City Manager Jovan Grogan previously said Santa Clara’s share of World Cup costs would be about $50 million. FIFA rent would bring in only about $13 million. The Bay Area Host Committee was supposed to raise the difference. Later, the 49ers said they would cover any shortfall.
But the BAHC has never publicly disclosed its fundraising goal. The Chronicle reported that major corporate donors were hard to find early on. Even so, BAHC president Zaileen Janmohamed claimed the effort was on track without ever providing details.
At the same time, the 49ers and the Host Committee were lobbying for government money.
The Chronicle reported they spent about $200,000 lobbying Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature for state funds.
They also spent another $100,000 lobbying the White House through a coalition of host cities.
According to the Chronicle, the FEMA money will help pay for security at the stadium, team hotels, base camps, and training sites.
The transit money will go through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, with VTA pushing to get most of it for extra trains, buses, and operators during the tournament.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor told the Chronicle that Santa Clara must be reimbursed in full. She’s right.
Measure J does not allow taxpayer subsidies for stadium events, directly or indirectly.
The Council is set to discuss major event invoicing and reimbursements from the Super Bowl tonight. That should tell us something about the BAHC and the money that the City should be getting to cover expenses from the February game.
It may also tell us what to expect with the FIFA expenditures this summer.