\u201cWe want to make sure that whatever is supposed to be coming to the city general fund is coming to the city general fund, and we also want to make sure going forward that our small businesses are receiving the benefit of these events as well,\u201d Watanabe told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
Watanabe has not identified a specific amount she thinks Santa Clara is owed, because reports are not yet available. Edward Escobar, founder of the Coalition for Community Engagement, which helped organize Watanabe\u2019s news conference, also couldn\u2019t identify the amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t speak to specifics on that. But I could just say it\u2019s not enough,\u201d Escobar told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_2396-1024x768.jpeg\")
Santa Clara residents and supporters of Kathy Watanabe\u2019s mayoral run hold signs outside Levi\u2019s Stadium on Sept. 24, 2026. They called for greater transparency over the stadium\u2019s finances. Photo by Maryanne Casas-Perez.<\/p>\n
The Bay Area Host Committee<\/a> \u2014 an umbrella organization that oversees major sporting events in the region \u2014 disputed the suggestion that Santa Clara has not benefited financially<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the public record shows, (the host committee) has paid 95% of the city\u2019s invoices and has been waiting for weeks for additional information from the city to close out the remaining amount,\u201d Bay Area Host Committee spokesperson Mitch Germann told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Germann said Super Bowl 60 and the World Cup matches held at Levi\u2019s Stadium produced economic and community benefits for Santa Clara, including increased hotel occupancy, short-term rental demand, national and international exposure and investments in local schools.<\/p>\n Boom or bust for businesses<\/p>\n Several businesses near Levi\u2019s Stadium said this year\u2019s major sports events brought a significant boost.<\/p>\n Ben Sterling, co-owner of Barebottle Brewing Company\u2019s Santa Clara taproom<\/a>, said Super Bowl Sunday was the brewery\u2019s best Sunday on record, with sales up 90% from the previous year.<\/p>\n Sterling said the World Cup also produced significant gains for the taproom. Sales were up 270% year over year during the Australia-Paraguay match on June 25 and 200% during the U.S.-Bosnia match on July 2, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey drove weekday or slower day business which was super helpful,\u201d Sterling told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Barebottle increased staffing and inventory to accommodate the events, but Sterling said the additional costs were more than offset by increased sales.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was wonderful for our business,\u201d Sterling said. \u201cWe would like there to be more events at Levi\u2019s. They drive so much of the local business near us and we\u2019re super grateful to be nearby and have a connection to the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Adler, co-owner of Puesto<\/a> in Santa Clara, also said events at Levi\u2019s bring more business to his restaurant. He said business increases by about 50% during concerts<\/a>, particularly on weekends and nighttime events.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did better during FIFA because of the late night,\u201d Adler told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt was a really strong year, our strongest year actually.\u201d<\/p>\n Not every business has had the same experience.<\/p>\n Howard Gibbons, a longtime hot dog vendor near the Great America VTA station, said restrictions surrounding the major events<\/a> affected his business. Gibbons said the Bay Area Host Committee provided several hundred dollars to help cover some losses associated with the Super Bowl, but he received no assistance during the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cFIFA, that was a total lockout shutout. So that was a total loss,\u201d Gibbons told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n The city has a public dashboard tracking costs and reimbursements related to the Super Bowl and World Cup. As of Sept. 8, the dashboard showed costs incurred by the city and Stadium Authority, along with amounts billed to and reimbursed by host committee.<\/p>\n The 49ers have separately said Levi\u2019s Stadium has generated $51.6 million in lifetime revenue<\/a> for Santa Clara\u2019s general fund through rent, facility fees and tax receipts. The team also points to an October 2023 economic-impact analysis commissioned by the 49ers, which estimated the stadium generated about $2 billion in total economic impact in Santa Clara County<\/a> from its opening in 2014 through July 2023.<\/p>\n The push for greater economic scrutiny comes nearly a decade after the 2016 Super Bowl, when the region drew less economic activity than some boosters had expected. One analysis found<\/a> that while the Bay Area as a whole drew $240 million from Super Bowl 50<\/a>, San Jose only secured 12% of the economic activity and Santa Clara saw 7%, while San Francisco received 57%.<\/p>\n \u201cLevi\u2019s Stadium has had the two most successful years in its history since Kathy Watanabe left office, and Santa Clara reaped the benefits,\u201d Ellie Caple, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for the San Francisco 49ers, told San Jos\u00e8 Spotlight. \u201cStadium finances are a matter of public record and show that Levi\u2019s Stadium delivered more than $30 million directly to the city\u2019s general fund over the last two years, and millions more over its life than originally projected. Ms. Watanabe is either misinformed or intentionally misleading the public.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790441050_868_interactive-321838904008.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n