Electrical union pays members to "intercept'' anti-stadium group in Santa Clara

If you thought that the fighting and politicking was long over regarding a new 49ers stadium that Santa Clara voters approved in 2010, you'd be wrong.

As anti-stadium activists plan to fan out Saturday to try to persuade city leaders to revoke a vote to take out a massive construction loan for the project, an electrical union is offering money to people who will "intercept" the critics.

At issue is Santa Clara Plays Fair members' effort to force the Santa Clara stadium authority -- composed of the seven City Council members -- to take back a Dec. 13 vote when it approved taking out an $850 million loan to start building a new 49ers football stadium.

The city attorney is busy researching whether the matter can legally be the subject of a "referendum" item to force such a vote. But if it is, and the critics gather enough signatures, the stadium authority would then be legally required to reconsider its vote. And if it doesn't, the matter must be put to vote in a citywide election.

Some stadium supporters are fighting back.

A call to "save the 49ers stadium" has appeared on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 332 website, www.ibew332.org.

"We have been asked by the 49ers to generate between 10-20 individuals to act as 'interceptors' in an effort to derail a ballot referendum," the IBEW site says.

The site also says that workers will be paid $100 for four hours of

work to hand out fliers Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "We cannot let a small group of NIMBY's derail a $1 billion construction project ... not if we can prevent it,'' the site says.

But Steve Weakland, a spokesman for the 49ers, said the team had nothing to do with the union's plan.

The 49ers do, however, expect a counter-movement of city officials and pro-stadium residents -- the same group that helped pass a ballot measure to approve the project in 2010 -- to rise against the stadium opponents to "get the correct story to the community," he said.

"We have spoken with a number of Santa Clara civic leaders who are concerned about misinformation being spread by a small group of stadium opponents, and we provided them with the facts about the financing plan," Weakland said.

Neither George Galindo nor Paul Olson, ?both listed as the IBEW 332 contacts, returned a phone call and email.

Deborah Bress, a spokeswoman for Santa Clara Plays Fair, which strongly opposes any taxpayer money going to support a new $1 billion football stadium, stressed that her volunteers are not being paid. She also noted how her grass-roots group, www.santaclaraplaysfair.org, must be putting a scare into the affluent 49ers team.

"I'm extremely energized," she said. "We're obviously making an impact."

Staff writer Mike Rosenberg contributed to this report. Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-920-5002. Follow her at Twitter.com/ljfernandez.

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Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_19689165?source=rss

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