Santa Clara city leaders this week unanimously voted to end an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers that empowers the team to manage its home stadium.
In closed session Tuesday, the Santa Clara City Council voted to terminate the stadium management agreement with the Forty Niners Stadium Management Company LLC in its entirety and called for new third-party management to take over stadium operations for both NFL and non-NFL events.
The city has long contended the 49ers have mismanaged the publicly owned facility and has accused the team of potential self-dealing.
The city said it also is revising its legal complaint with new facts. Both parties have said they would like to see the dispute resolved in court, but it's uncertain how soon a court hearing would happen.
In September 2019, the city ended an agreement that enabled the 49ers to manage non-NFL events at Levi’s. The team since sued to dispute the termination, enabling the team continue operating the stadium until the issues are resolved in court.
The 49ers provided the following statement:
"We should all be troubled that this vote comes clearly as an act of retaliation after it became public that the 49ers would join civil rights leaders to defeat Measure C.
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Generations of Americans have fought against the long, dark history of intimidation tactics that have marginalized communities from reaping the full rights afforded to them in our democracy. Now more than ever, we will not be intimidated and Santa Clara will not be intimidated in our fight to defeat the anti-democratic Measure C.
The 49ers Management Company will continue to manage Levi’s Stadium and attract the most celebrated events in the world to the Bay Area.
The City’s latest announcement is just another step in a self-destructive process they began years ago as part of a petty political vendetta. All of those efforts failed, just as this latest attempt will also fail."
