San Francisco 49ers spend nearly one million dollars on Santa Clara elections

The San Francisco 49ers have directed $980,000 into local political action committees ahead of the November 3 municipal elections in Santa Clara. These funds, funneled through the Forty Niners Football Company LLC under the committee name Affordable Santa Clara, aim to influence the city's mayoral and District 2 council races. The team is supporting candidates Gary Ferraris for mayor and Kimberley Williams for City Council while opposing David Kertes, Kathy Watanabe, and Yvonne Inciarte. This spending follows a period of ongoing political friction between the franchise and city leadership regarding stadium operations and governance. Previous local election cycles in the city have involved millions in team-backed spending, leading to past grand jury inquiries into the influence of the organization on local government officials.

• 9:21 PMYahoo Sports — 49ers have already spent a boatload this year to influence Santa Clara elections