The 49ers' Stadium Subsidy: Includes our City Parklands, too.

Dear Santa Clarans,


As you know, our City Council and our Department of Parks and Recreation are contemplating the placement of soccer pitches on one or both of Jenny Strand and Montague Parks.   At the City Council Meeting of last Tuesday evening, June 10th,  Santa Clarans and friends of those parks strongly urged that they be left exactly as they are.

Those public comments also gave us a clue to how we got where we are today.   One resident lateraled this easy pass right over the dais - 'You're not closing the City of Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park, are you?' 

Mayor Matthews responded, in essence, 'Heavens, no!' 

Right answer.    However, it was the wrong question.

Of course we're not closing the YSP!   The real question should have been, "Why are we moving dedicated soccer pitches into Santa Clara city parks?  We have a Youth Soccer Park!"

We do indeed.   Of course one could try to make a case for additional soccer field capacity elsewhere in the city simply because the Youth Soccer Park is so heavily booked during the season.  But please consider that, since the passage of Measure Jed over four years ago, not one word of that has been spoken other than in the promises made by Jed York to the Santa Clara Youth Soccer League - promises since broken by Mr. York and the San Francisco 49ers.

There is no motivation for the 49ers - or even for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, for that matter - to guarantee access to the Youth Soccer Park on an NFL event day.  In fact, it is much more in the interest of the 49ers' front office to frustrate soccer park patrons as much as they possibly can, first to drive the offsite soccer pitch development (paid for by us and not by the 49ers) and then to force the city to relocate the Youth Soccer Park altogether (ditto).

All so that Jed York can park his VIPs' stretch limos on the grass.

Santa Clarans, the San Francisco 49ers are desperate to keep their names out of this entire affair.  It is no accident that the three City Councilmembers who placed themselves on the Ad Hoc Additional Soccer Fields Committee** are diehard 49ers stadium boosters.   They're more than happy to run interference for Jed York.

But Santa Clara Plays Fair urges that all residents call it for what it is:   Coercion by the 49ers which, at minimum, is intended to force soccer matches out of the Youth Soccer Park on NFL game days.   The Councilmembers on the Ad Hoc Committee should be working for us on this issue and demanding that the 49ers do what they promised us.   They should not be shielding Jed York and the 49ers from the consequences of their own double-dealing.

We would truly appreciate hearing from residents on this issue.  However, where Santa Clara city parks in your own neighborhoods are concerned, it's much more important that you ask hard questions of our seven City Councilmembers, particularly since they also comprise the Santa Clara Stadium Authority.   Please contact them at MayorAndCouncil@santaclaraca.gov  .

In sum:   If Santa Clarans are being forced to give up the use of the Youth Soccer Park and multiple city park lands all because of the San Francisco 49ers' parking fiasco, then we're once again subsidizing Jed York and the 49ers by losing taxpayer-supported city services we've paid for but which we will no longer have available.

We've given Jed York and the San Francisco 49ers quite enough.   We most certainly do not owe Jed York what was demanded of supporters of Jenny Strand and Montague Parks last Tuesday night.

As for youth soccer in our city:   We have one Youth Soccer Park.   We should not be forced to live with three or four little ones.

The City of Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park, after all, is where real football is being played.



Thank you for all of your support,
William F. "Bill" Bailey, Treasurer,
SantaClaraPlaysFair.org

-=0=-
Next:  More on the June 10th Council Meeting - and a little on the Development Study Session that preceded it.

**Agenda Item 12D, City Council Meeting of March 25th, 2014   (Scroll down to item 12D.  That's the only place in which the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee is even noted.)