The outside money is being used for campaign communications such as advertising and mailers. Ferraris said the PAC spending is helping get his message out, but affecting him negatively in other ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s definitely helping on getting the message out, but it\u2019s definitely hindering me as far as fundraising,\u201d Ferraris told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
A 49ers spokesperson said the team\u2019s support is focused on candidates who will address issues that include affordability and city finances.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to once again support a diverse slate of candidates running for city leadership \u2014 consensus builders who will tackle the affordability crisis and manage the city\u2019s finances responsibly while investing in the city\u2019s future,\u201d the team spokesperson told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
Political action committees are separate from contributions made directly to campaigns. Ferraris\u2019 campaign reported $8,006 in contributions, of which $3,000 was a personal loan, as of Sept. 25.<\/p>\n
The other five Santa Clara mayoral candidates<\/a> have received varying levels of campaign donations.<\/p>\n Kertes reported $41,896 in total contributions, of which $39,492 was through personal loans, while Watanabe reported $19,496 in contributions, including $7,500 in personal loans. Tech entrepreneurMike Wiltberger has self-funded his campaign with $15,775 in personal loans, while Councilmember Karen Hardy reported $11,142, including a $5,000 loan. Councilmember Kevin Park reported $5,501 in total contributions, including a $2,100 loan.<\/p>\n Kertes said he is not concerned about the 49ers spending against him. He said the team spent about $1 million opposing him during his 2024 City Council race and he expects the same kind of spending this year.<\/p>\n \u201cLet them spend their money,\u201d Kertes told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really matter. I\u2019m not concerned because I\u2019m doing the work and getting out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Kertes said he has knocked on thousands of doors during the campaign and plans to continue working with the 49ers if elected. Watanabe isn\u2019t surprised the 49ers-backed PAC is opposing her. She said she recently spoke with a team representative after learning about the committee and asked the team to stay out of city politics.<\/p>\n Watanabe said representative told her the 49ers planned to move forward with the spending because the team wanted to protect its interests and because of Watanabe\u2019s past positions on the stadium\u2019s curfew<\/a> and budgets. She said her past disagreements with the 49ers were based on her concerns<\/a> about protecting residents and having enough time to review the stadium\u2019s budget proposals before the city council approved them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not surprised because I\u2019m their biggest threat and because they know I\u2019ve been on the council,\u201d Watanabe told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791317649_449_interactive-321838904008.png\")
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