Gavin Newsom to Santa Clara: Don't Build Stadium

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 2, 2009 | John Coté

[nickcarraway]

The Santa Clara City Council may decide tonight to bless a $937 million stadium project for the San Francisco 49ers.

But San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has some advice for the voters in the South Bay city, who will have to agree: Don't do it.

Instead of using nearly $80 million in city funds on a 68,500-seat stadium that will host only a handful of football games each year, Santa Clara should instead spend the money on other city needs like schools, Newsom said.

"That's a lot of money to spend on a team that won't even change its name," Newsom told The Chronicle's editorial board Monday morning.

Newsom, who wants a new 49ers stadium in San Francisco as the centerpiece of a redeveloped Hunters Point Shipyard and surrounding neighborhood, said he has thought about suing over use of the city's name if the team moves two counties away.

"What can I do? I can sue them. I can browbeat them," Newsom said. "I'd love to keep them, but we can't sell our soul."

The indecision that surrounds the 49ers' future home has left San Francisco in an "untenable position," the mayor said, in part because the city would prefer to start building a new neighborhood at the shipyard - even if that development doesn't include a stadium as originally proposed.

"I want to rebuild this area, and if they're there for eight more years, we can't do that. That's what makes this even more frustrating," Newsom said.

Some Santa Clara officials and a 49ers spokesman brushed off Newsom's comments, saying the stadium plan would benefit the city.

[Revolting cat!]

Bring back Eddie!

[AFreeBird]

It’s too bad they don’t actually, you know, build ships at that shipyard anymore.

[ViLaLuz]

“That’s a lot of money to spend on a team that won’t even change its name,” Newsom told The Chronicle’s editorial board Monday morning.”

What’s he want to call them? The 69ers?

[Revolting cat!]

Well, he's right, they're moving to Santa Clara, let them call themselves Santa Clerics, or better yet, Fruits, since that used to be a fruit growing region, and coming from San Francisco, that would only be most appropriate.

[byteback]

It’s simple. Do you want the stadium in SF or elsewhere? If it’s elsewhere is is near SF and not LA? The fan base is not in SF where it’s an artsy town but more in the SV where the techies love sports.