Supervisor Jane Kim is not stoked about Super Bowl 50. In a press release sent out late this afternoon by her office, the Supervisor breaks down her displeasure with the fact that San Francisco seems to be getting the short end of the stick in an arrangement with the National Football League that her office calls the "worst deal ever."
A report released today by the independent office of the Budget and Legislative Analyst sparked Kim's frustration. Upon investigation, some of the conclusions drawn by the report do not look so good.
A few sections highlighted by the Supervisor's office:
As part of the original Bid to host prepared and submitted by the Super Bowl Host Committee, a private group of individuals Fire, Police, and Emergency Management Departments signed commitments to not seek reimbursement from the NFL for providing any additional public safety services.
There is no written agreement between the Host Committee and San Francisco of any kind.
In stark contrast, the City of Santa Clara inked an agreement with the Host Committee that obligates the Host Committee to reimburse ALL Santa Clara City expenses associated with hosting Super Bowl 50, including public safety services. This amount is expected to be $3,597,300 to cover all additional services.
“This was never about welcoming visitors to San Francisco of course we welcome anyone who wants to visit our amazing City," explains Kim. "But I’ve said it from the beginning and this report confirms my fears: taxpayers are being sacked to pay for a party for billionaires and special interests. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar corporation and can pay for its own marketing and should absolutely reimburse San Franciscans for every single cent.”
The report "recommends that the Board of Supervisors request the Mayor to immediately enter into a formal agreement, subject to Board of Supervisors approval, with the Host Committee that provides for full reimbursement of the City’s estimated General Fund expenditures of $4,881,625, as the City of Santa Clara has done."
Why it took elected officials this long to realize San Francisco taxpayers are getting screwed in the deal with the NFL is a bit of a mystery to us, and it will be interesting to see if City Hall is able to squeeze any concessions out of the Nation Football League this late in the game. If past is prologue, our bet's on the NFL.
