Posted on 11/11/2006 6:59:01 AM PST by SmithL
Negotiations to keep the 49ers in San Francisco will officially resume next week after two of California's most powerful politicians intervened, officials on both sides of the talks told The Chronicle.
Two days after the team abruptly announced its plans to move to Santa Clara, Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Friday gathered Mayor Gavin Newsom, his chief of staff and 49ers co-owner John York and his son, Jed, in her San Francisco office for a morning meeting.
House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi also phoned John York and left him a message expressing her disappointment and telling him it is "unacceptable for the 49ers to leave San Francisco," according to an aide.
Though the team agreed to resume talks with San Francisco, it also will continue negotiating with Santa Clara to build a new stadium there.
The new development, however, left Newsom feeling like "nothing's changed."
"No new expectations have been raised," he said after the meeting in Feinstein's office.
While on Thursday the mayor angrily denounced the team's decision to move to the South Bay and vowed that the city would explore legal options to keep the Niners from leaving, on Friday he referred to the meeting as "great," "nice" and "not supposed to be made public."
"It was good to get together right away before letting a month go by and then more animus is created," Newsom said. "That was the spirit of the meeting, to say 'Let's just get together and let's try and tone it down,' but at the same time to be resolved that we don't want the team to leave, but it's not an at-all-costs strategy."
Lisa Lang, spokeswoman for the 49ers, confirmed that the team would be pursuing dual discussions with the two cities.
"The doors definitely are not closed in San Francisco, . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I'm surprised anybody still wants the Niners.
LOL!!!! How do you like her now San Francisco?
I live in the SF Bay Area. I am getting a big kick out how, all at once the liberal loonies in SF are going ballistic because York wants to move the 49ers to Santa Clara. Obviously its dollars and cents. It makes more sense to be in a place that is more business friendly than in the hell hole that is SF politics. The Candlestick area is a terrible neighborhood and any apartments and retail properties built in the area would be an instant slum. Not a safe place for a new stadium and their fans. The Santa Clara 49ers sound good to me. Or the San Jose 49ers. After all they are still the same team.
Taxpayer bailout coming courtesy of Feinstein & Pelosi. It'll be tucked as an earmark into an appropriations bill written by Rangel. Free stadiums for all!
Cool I get to pay for two stadiums!, Oh never mind I just moved out of Arlington, so damn I only get to pay for one. ;P
"...Cool I get to pay for two stadiums!,..."
Don't feel alone in that. The good citizens in Memphis, Tn are doing that now. We're still paying off The Pyramid Arena and have been stuck with the FedEx Forum's bills. We take it as a fact of life here.
It makes more sense to be in a place that is more business friendly than in the hell hole that is SF politics.
It has nothing to do with that.
It's all about which municipality is willing to give the team the most public money. They couldn't care less about "business friendly," just sucking on the public teat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.