Documents obtained by The Mercury News reveal indicted Santa Clara City Councilmember Anthony Becker may have admitted to leaking a secret Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report to the San Francisco 49ers and local media outlets.
The grand jury report, titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” examined the allegedly unethical nature of the San Francisco 49ers’ relationship with the Santa Clara City Council. The report’s findings outlined unethical conduct and poor governance practices exhibited by a bloc of pro-49ers members of the Council, of which Becker is included.
The allegations include violations of open meeting laws tied to frequent, private meetings held between councilmembers and 49ers’ lobbyists, ethics violations related to “operational tours” at Levi’s Stadium, and concerns about the firing of a former City Attorney and City Manager who expressed unease about the above ethics issues.
Last month, Becker was indicted on misdemeanor charges for leaking the secret report before its publication, and on felony perjury charges for lying about the leak to the Civil Grand Jury. Becker faces up to four years in jail if convicted on the felony charges. He pled not guilty to the charges on May 3.
In the newly obtained transcripts of testimonies provided to the grand jury, one of Becker’s allies on the Council, Suds Jain, alleged that the indicted Councilmember had admitted to leaking the report to the Silicon Valley Voice.
In further damning testimony, one of Becker’s campaign volunteers, David Andre, indicated that the indicted Councilmember had asked him to blame the leak on Lisa M. Gillmor, Becker’s then-political opponent. Becker ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign, financially supported by the 49ers, against Gillmor in 2022.
The transcripts also revealed that Becker allegedly told Andre he had married his partner Abel Cardona in January 2023 in order to shield the latter from complying with obligations to participate in the Grand Jury’s investigation under subpoena.
Cupertino Today will continue to follow the story and provide future updates.