The former city manager of Santa Clara has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming wrongful termination, retaliation, and intimidation.
Deanna Santana points the finger at a group of city council members whom critics sometimes refer to as the “49ers Five.” Consisting of Anthony Becker, Suds Jain, Kevin Park, Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy, the bloc has been accused of prioritizing the interests of the San Francisco 49ers and their stadium management affiliate over constituents.
Santana claims that the council members bullied her, had her followed, and then ultimately fired her, after she expressed concerns about potential legal violations involving the 49ers and the city. After her termination, she alleges that the city withheld her severance pay and tried to deprive her of her pension benefits.
The Santa Clara City Council has long been criticized for its close relationship with the 49ers. In 2022, the civil grand jury published a report entitled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara City Council.” Among other findings, the report concluded that the pro-49ers bloc frequently met with team lobbyists without disclosing the substance of those meetings, only to later echo the lobbyists’ talking points in public.
Last year, Becker was convicted of felony perjury after leaking that report before it was made public and then lying about it under oath. According to Santana’s lawsuit, Becker was the ringleader of the retaliation campaign against her. While he is no longer on the council, the rest of the “49ers Five” are still in office.
Santana served as city manager from 2017 to 2022. She too drew public scrutiny because of her high salary. As a rationale for her firing, the council majority said it had lost confidence in her leadership.
Santana’s lawsuit was filed Thursday in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Read more about the lawsuit at the Mercury News.