SAN FRANCISCO — A Silicon Valley councilmember delayed getting into his pleas Monday on legal costs for allegedly mendacity about leaking a grand jury report on the San Francisco 49ers’ political affect and relationships with the town’s elected officers.
Santa Clara City Councilmember Anthony Becker will subsequent seem in courtroom May 3 and he stays out of custody within the meantime. He faces as much as 4 years in county jail if he’s convicted of perjury.
Becker, a Democrat, was indicted Friday for allegedly offering a secret report titled, “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara City Council,” to the crew’s former high spokesperson and an area information outlet in 2022, days forward of its official launch. The report known as Becker and 4 different Santa Clara councilmembers the “49er Five” and claimed the 5 elected officers met usually with the crew’s lobbyists with out publicly disclosing the matters of debate. It additionally alleged the councilmembers usually voted “in a manner that is favorable to the 49ers.”
Becker then allegedly lied to the grand jury concerning the leak, prosecutors stated, prompting the felony legal cost. He additionally faces a misdemeanor for leaking the confidential report.
Becker declined to remark when reached by telephone Monday. Christopher Montoya, the general public defender representing him, didn’t instantly reply to telephone and textual content messages in search of remark.
Outside the courthouse, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated Becker was favoring particular pursuits above his constituents.
“When you leak a confidential report to the target of that report, you’re taking sides against Santa Clara County,” he stated. “When you do both of those things – leak and lie – as an elected official, who’s sworn to protect and defend the interest of your constituents before and above your private interests, you have violated everyone’s trust and broken the law.”
Rosen additionally known as on the 49ers to apologize.
The 49ers play in Levi’s Stadium within the metropolis of Santa Clara, about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Santa Clara County is broadly thought-about residence to Silicon Valley. The metropolis of Santa Clara owns the stadium and leases it to the crew; combating between the 2 teams has led to ethics complaints, authorized disputes and years of dangerous blood.
It’s not the primary time a California elected official faces scrutiny over their involvement with skilled sports groups. Former Mayor Harry Sidhu of the Southern California metropolis of Anaheim resigned final 12 months after federal officers launched an investigation into the sale of Angel Stadium to the baseball crew. Sidhu allegedly gave confidential info to the Angels at the least twice throughout negotiations in hopes of getting a marketing campaign donation.
The 49ers have bankrolled Becker’s native political profession by spending at the least $3.2 million by way of unbiased expenditure committees for his 2020 metropolis council race, which he received, in addition to his unsuccessful 2022 mayoral bid, prosecutors stated. Santa Clara City Mayor Lisa Gillmor, a vocal critic of the soccer crew, didn’t reply to requests for remark.
The 49ers have “cooperated fully” with the district legal professional, Brian Brokaw, a newly employed spokesperson for the crew, stated Friday. He declined to remark additional Monday on Becker’s courtroom look. Brokaw is a widely known Sacramento guide who has labored for distinguished California politicians together with Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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