Gavin Newsom: The Mayor that Lost the 49ers

I read this morning that the 49ers have decided to leave San Francisco, possibly headed down to Santa Clara.  Our fare city has been struggling with the stadium initiative for years. 

Several years back, former mayor Willie Brown celebrated passage of a ballot measure that was supposed to kick things off.  I remember when he did celebrate, he was really celebrating its passage and he knew there was a long road ahead.

Interestingly, Mr. Brown seemed certain that he could make it happen eventually.  He is a master politician and I believe that he could have done it.

I don't necessarily believe that the 49ers leaving is Gavin Newsom's fault per se.  However, it is a clear signal that he is over matched for the job of mayor of San Francisco.  He seems to focus on the things that grab headlines that reach beyond the Bay.  For example, gay marriage, which he took a "big risk" by supporting it and by the way will be making a movie about it, and homelessness which he has failed at.

In the meantime we had a debilitating strike that he struggled mightily with and now we've lost the 49ers.  Mr. Newsom is a handsome, well spoken leader whose got mass appeal.  He also appears well prepared to take the next step and start taking on bigger and better governmental opportunities because he has proven to be sufficiently inept to be considered for the opportunity.

Comments

[George Blair]

Your city sucks. It is not surprising that your lame-ass liberal/Democrat motherfuckers in charge have lost the 49ers. Fuck
San Francisco, and fuck the NFL.

[Tim Taylor]

Interestingly, comparatively, our current mayor isn't as liberal as others in the past have been. He's also, comparatively, less effective.

But you're right, my city's leadership is not stellar in terms of having vision and an orientation towards execution.

[Burns]

York is a complete idiot. Newsom had better fix this.

[Tim Taylor]

Honestly, I think Gavin Newsom is in way over his head.

[Sad Niner fan]

I recently moved back to the Bay area after attending school on the East Coast.

I don't quite understand why the city won't chip in at least a little for the stadium--especially if they're still considering the Olympic bid. Of course it's no guarantee that a new stadium=Olympics, but it would certainly help. And Candlestick is pretty rundown.

At the same time, do the Yorks know what they're doing? It's pretty clear they don't have the same managerial and ownership expertise Eddie DeBartalo had. If the A's do move to San Jose/Fremont and the Niners to Santa Clara, traffic will be TERRIBLE, especially without BART.

It seems both Newsom and York are in over their heads...

[Tim Taylor]

The thing about it Sad niner fan, is that what is desperately needed right now is a super politician.

There's no Peter Magowan running the team (a great business person who seems to understand the game).

As such, navigating and leading governmental forces is paramount. If you think back to when Willie Brown got that stadium measure passed, it was a HUGE effort.

He knew how to do it, Gavin Newsom (and our Board of Supes by the way) don't.

[49er fan in San Mateo]

I think 49ers should move to belmont/san carlos area in peninsula so everyone can benefit. What happened to the land south of Oracle campus, east of 101. Instead of building more house, build a stadium there place.

[Tim Taylor]

It's pretty interesting that the governments of Santa Clara and Belmont/San Carlos are superior to San Francisco in this case....

[49er fan in San Mateo]

Everything related to the 49ers is "going south" since the york took over the ownership. First it is the game record, then fan experience, then business, now even physical location. Just want to see how low they can go.
I love the 80s and early 90s, when everything seems always going north.

[Moi]

I hear they are going to keep SF as their name - f#*k that - they will be the Santa Clara 49er's. A sell out is a sell out!

[Ron Cabral]

Good - they are the worst team ever. And I hope they drop the name SF and forever be associated with San Jose as in San Jose 49ERS -- UGH!!!

[Tim Taylor]

You know something I'm from Indiana, moved here 15 years ago. It's fascinating for me to read all of the comments.

I wonder what it would be like if the 49ers were like an actual professional football team.

[j]

What a joke! The residents of SF voted many, many years ago to build a new Candlestick. With the departure of the 49ers, they may as well be run by Al Davis! Nice to know the ownership is disloyal to the fans that have been with the team through the low times of the 70s, the high times of the 80s & 90s and the current struggle. Nice slap in the face.

[Jennifer Haverford]

Why is everyone blaming the owners of the 49ers for the probable move to Santa Clara? Does the possibility exist that the city of San Francisco has done absolutely NOTHING to help out with the construction of a new stadium??? Let me remind the "fans" out there that the 49ers (along with the Cowboys and Steelers) HAVE THE MOST NUMBER OF SUPERBOWL wins. And for what? To play in one of the OLDEST stadiums in the league. If SF really cares about the economic impact caused by the loss of the 49ers, then SF needs to step it up. SF needs to DO SOMETHING to keep the Niners there. Like what, you ask. Well...how about actually putting some $$$$ into improving the Hunter's Point area...improving the roads (everyone knows you can't drive more than 25 yards without encountering a huge pothole, and where are the sidewalks? That's right, there aren't any..better just walk in the dirt).

The owners aren't even asking for any money to build the new stadium in SF...just for infrastructure (like repaving the bad streets).

You think the Yorks are cheap...did you know that the owner of the Broncos got a FREE 300million dollar gift in the form of a stadium from the city of Denver? How about the fact that the owner of the Rams got their own $400 million freebie stadium from the city of St. Louis. These examples are the RULE NOT THE exception. And do they have FIVE superbowl rings????? And the YORKS are willing to pony-up $700 million of their own $$$ for the 49er stadium. NOW WHO'S CHEAP? I'll tell you...it's the city of SAN FRANCISCO.

[Tim Taylor]

Jennifer,

I actually don't think the city of SF is cheap. Rather, I think the mayor is way over his head, that was the point of the post.

I think you at least would give credibility to the claim the comparatively the Yorks are nowhere near Eddie Debartolo in understanding how to run a football team.

[49ers Tickets]

Haha. Homophobic people are mildly amusing. You can bet when you get a tirade of bull from someone like that, there was some uncle touching. Or maybe daddy was a little TOO affectionate... Aww, now I feel sorry for the guy.