By Robert Haugh

The 49ers put another $1.65 million into two Santa Clara independent expenditure committees on Sept. 25, dramatically increasing the amount of money the team has committed to this year’s city elections.

The largest infusion went to the committee supporting Gary Ferraris for Mayor and opposing Kathy Watanabe and David Kertes.

The De Bartolo Corporation & Affiliated Entities, Including The Forty Niners Football Company LLC contributed $1,217,000 to the Ferraris committee on Sept. 25, followed by another $10,411.84 contribution the same day.

That’s $1,227,411.84 in new money.

Combined with the $645,000 the team contributed Aug. 27, the 49ers have now put $1,872,411.84 into the Ferraris committee.   Wow.

The 49ers also significantly increased their spending in the District 2 City Council race.

The team put another $418,411.84 into the independent expenditure committee supporting Kimberley Williams and opposing Yvonne Inciarte. That consisted of a $408,000 contribution and another $10,411.84 contribution on Sept. 25.

The team had previously put $335,000 into that committee. Its total funding is now $753,411.84. Double wow.

Combined, the two 49ers-backed committees have received $2,625,823.68.  Triple wow. 

The new infusion may reflect what the team has learned from its polling.

According to a source familiar with a recent 49ers poll, Ferraris and Williams did not have strong name identification with Santa Clara voters and their candidate profiles were weak.

The source said that meant the 49ers would have to spend considerably more money to introduce and promote their candidates.

So where has the money been going?

SCNO reviewed an analysis of the Ferraris independent expenditure committee’s first campaign finance report.

That report covers spending only through Sept. 19, six days before the 49ers added another $1.23 million to the committee.

The report provides a look at the committee’s initial spending strategy. 

Through Sept. 19, the Ferraris committee had made $202,111 in cash payments and accumulated $88,253.28 in unpaid expenses. Total expenditures and financial commitments were $290,364.28. 

The biggest category was media and digital advertising.

Approximately $183,356, (about 63 percent of the committee’s initial expenditures and commitments) went to media and digital advertising.

Polaris Campaigns accounted for $127,275. West West Digital accounted for $47,748, and Clint Reilly Communications received $8,333. 

Polling and opposition research was the second-largest category at $67,416.

That included $23,800 for Probolsky Research and $21,600 for HSC, Inc., the company of Tim Hoekstra, the opposition researcher who investigated the Grand Jury on behalf of the team during the Anthony Becker scandal.  

The committee also committed $17,505 for literature and direct mail through Haymarket Strategies.

Another $14,944 went to advertising production, including $13,100 through Bearstar Strategies and $1,844 through Feral Digital. 

McGovern & Associates Consulting was among the firms receiving general campaign consulting payments. 

The filings also show some of the media outlets and platforms where the money was ultimately directed: Facebook and Instagram, digital display advertising, cable and streaming television, 

49er friendly media publications San José Spotlight and the Silicon Valley Voice also received payments. 

Ampersand Media accounted for $51,639 in media placements through Polaris Campaigns. 

Those numbers reflect the campaign only through Sept. 19.  

Santa Clara voters and residents can expect to see a lot of ads and mailers in the coming weeks for Ferraris and Williams.