Internal affairs » An irreverent inside view of the week’s news in local and state politics

Santa Clara hires messaging master

In an effort to turn down the temperature with the San Francisco 49ers and other “anticipated media and public relations challenges,” Santa Clara is prepared to spend $50,000 of taxpayer money on an outside public relations firm.

The city hired Banner Public Affairs, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in government and crisis management relations. Its partner, Peter Hillan, who runs the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices, was tapped to work directly with Santa Clara officials.

The contract, unanimously approved by the City Council in January, states Banner will provide communications support for “anticipated issues with the San Francisco 49ers through the Stadium Authority contract” — including legal disputes — and

decide who should speak on issues related to the team.

“My role is to help put some real solid communication practices in place so that when they’re communicating, it’s based on facts — which has deteriorated over the last couple of years,” Hillan told IA. “There hasn’t been a rigorous approach to consistent communications that’s factbased.”

Hillan, a former newspaper editor, worked on the voter-approved Measure J campaign in 2010 that allowed Levi’s Stadium to be built — and which Mayor Lisa Gillmor supported.

So after helping the 49ers bring their home stadium to Santa Clara, Hillan’s now helping city officials battle the NFL team over stadium rent, parking, financial audits and a weeknight concert curfew.

Both Hillan and Gillmor declined to elaborate on the types of projects the firm will work on. Gillmor referred IA to the informal bid for proposals the city issued in March. Three firms responded to the city’s bid. The contract has no end date, city records show, but it’s not to exceed $50,000.

The city already has a community relations manager, Jennifer Yamaguma, who’s paid $157,250 a year, according to public records. But that isn’t enough, Gillmor said.

“Jennifer has never served as the top communications person for a city before,” Gillmor said.

“She was a very beloved person and really full of life.”

— Cathy Warren, of Campbell, on her 32-year-old sister Michelle Vo, a graduate of San Jose’s Independence High School who was among the slain in last week’s Las Vegas shooting massacre.

Former Cupertino Union head seeks records

The ghost of a superintendent past still lurks around the Cupertino Union School District.

District governance has settled down after two tumultuous years, when public and staff ire erupted first over then-Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz’s move to transfer the entire staff of West Valley Elementary School, then over consultant contracts, teacher housing, the Vallco Shopping Mall remake and an iPad program.

The discontent and suspicion contributed to the district receiving nearly 100 requests for information under the California Public Records Act last school year.

So far this fiscal year, just eight such requests have come in.

Among them is a request from Gudalewicz, who is seeking emails and text messages from trustee Liang-Fang Chao.

Chao was elected last November with support from voters unhappy with Gudalewicz, who at the time appeared to have solid school board support. Gudalewicz could not be reached for comment.

The request isn’t fazing Chao, who believes she has nothing to hide.

“I’m not surprised that she’s curious if I’m talking about her,” Chao said. “It’s OK. It’s a public record.”

She had the messages at hand. For a previous PRA request from a member of the public, Chao labored to manually copy and transfer text messages from her phone to her computer in order to respond. Since then, she has tried to confine all her district-related communications to her computer.

As for how she feels things have changed under new Superintendent Craig Baker, Chao said, “Everyone is more relaxed.” Board members are encouraged to attend parent meetings, instead of being admonished for it.

“It’s a world of difference,” Chao said.

Grocer, landlord spar over vacant S.J. store

After a major grocery chain closed in San Jose but renewed the lease on its empty building, the retailer and its landlord appeared to point fingers and refused to be in the same room.

That ended last month when the two sides — grocer Raley’s, the owner of Nob Hill, and its landlord Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. — came together to discuss the dispute. And it didn’t take long for things to get heated as nearly 100 angry residents demanded answers.

Nob Hill closed its store at 7076 Santa Teresa Boulevard two years ago. Despite the closure, the grocer renewed its lease until 2021 — but it declined to open another grocery store there. The dark building began attracting blight, graffiti, trash and rodents.

ROIC representatives said Wednesday they can’t kick Nob Hill out because there’s no cause for terminating the lease. Nob Hill officials said they extended the lease to build a distribution hub there — that plan didn’t work out — but maintaining the lease was a “business decision.”

That angered neighbors who said the company is holding them hostage.

“I will not shop at your store if you don’t resolve this,” said Steve Nelson, who’s lived in the area nearly 30 years.

Nob Hill spokeswoman Chelsea Minor responded that residents “had a right to feel that way.”

In an unexpected move, ROIC’s Amber Wright handed Minor a lease termination agreement at the meeting — urging her to sign to resolve the issue. Minor declined, later telling IA that it isn’t her job and she doesn’t have the “legal authority to do that.”

“We just want the space back,” Wright said. “We want to do what’s right for the community.”

Minor countered: “It’s still a very complicated issue. I don’t think I have a silver bullet, but it’s good to hear community feedback.”

Minor said Nob Hill is considering opening a “Nob Hill Express” at the vacant site. The 5,000-square-foot mini store would be the first of its kind in the country. Most residents seemed open to the idea — and felt some progress was being made.

Councilman Sergio Jimenez told the crowd he’ll do what it takes to resolve the dispute, and he’s exploring city legislation to prohibit retailers from keeping leases on empty stores.

Conservative speaker visits Silicon Valley

There’s been a lot of fuss lately over conservative commentators being unwelcome in the Bay Area — particularly Berkeley. But one is scheduled to speak in Mountain View on Tuesday.

The 700-member Conservative Forum of Silicon Valley will host Jonah Goldberg, a National Review senior editor, for a 7 p.m. talk titled “The Suicide of the West” at the IFES Hall, 432 Stierlin Road, Mountain View.

Goldberg has solid conservative credentials. He’s a regular on the Fox News All-Stars and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

One thing, however, may make his Bay Area tour stop a little easier for leftists to swallow: He’s a Donald Trump “skeptic” who had publicly stated that he didn’t support Trump’s candidacy. And he has continued to criticize the president after he took office.

So if that sounds like your cup of tea, tickets ranging in price from $10 to $35 are available at theconservativeforum.com. Just don’t tell antifa.