Correction Published: No

Requested Correction:

Hi Robert,

This communication is in regard to your post entitled, “INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Assistant City Manager Responsible for Stadium Has No Government Experience, Potential Conflict of Interest with 49ers” that was posted to SantaClaranews.org on February 1, 2024. Information contained within the post is factually incorrect and, by way of this email, the City is requesting that you correct the information as soon as possible. Additionally, Assistant City Manager Baker has provided information on the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area organization and a contact within the organization if you have additional questions.

I am requesting that you make corrections to your article as soon as possible. There is factually incorrect information connecting the 49ers, the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and Assistant City Manager Baker, that could have been avoided.

Moving forward, if you have specific questions about a post that you are working on, please feel free to reach out to me in advance.  As the Public Information Officer for the City, I want to ensure that accurate and complete information is provided to media organizations, bloggers, and others that report publicly on the City.

Requested Corrections

Correction 1

Your article states, “In mid-December, days after Santa Clara News Online (SCNO) asked for additional information about Baker’s background, he resigned from the Coliseum Commission. In mid-January, after SCNO asked if Baker’s role in the other two nonprofits created a potential conflict of interest, Baker suddenly stepped down as Board Chair of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.”

This implies that as a result of your inquiry, Assistant City Manager (ACM) Baker stepped down from his positions. This is factually incorrect. ACM Baker stepped down from all his positions (Oakland Alameda Coliseum JPA Commission and 100 Black Men of the Bay Area) prior to your inquiries. In fact, ACM Baker made the decision to not run for an additional one-year term after he received his City of Santa Clara offer letter in November 2023 to focus his efforts on his new upcoming role as an Assistant City Manager for Santa Clara. On November 28, 2023, he announced to the Board Officers of the 100 Black of the Bay Area that he intended to step down as Chairman.  As such, Mr. Baker termed out as the Board Chairman of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area on January 28, 2024, a position in which he served in for three years.

In regard to Mr. Baker’s prior role as a Commissioner on the Coliseum Authority for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex, Mr. Baker informed the Authority’s Chairman (and Oakland City Council Member) Rebecca Kaplan on December 14, 2023 that he would step down effective December 19, 2023, in order to avoid any perception of a conflict with his new role as an Assistant City Manager for Santa Clara.

Correction 2

Your article states “But neither Baker nor City Manager Grogan would comment about any potential conflict with 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.”

You emailed me asking me on 1/26/24 “Is he still the Chairman of the Board of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and a Board Trustee for the Home Builders Institute? If so, does he believe any of these positions are a potential conflict?”

I answered the questions saying he stepped down as Chair of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area but remains a trustee for the Home Builders Institute. I also stated “The City Manager is aware of this ongoing relationship and has determined it is not an incompatible activity. If a situation were to arise where this affiliation presents a conflict, Mr. Baker would recuse himself and not participate in that matter.” This holds true for the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area. This information comes from City Manager Grogan and ACM Baker so to imply that they would not comment is misleading. I, as the Public Information Officer, did provide you with an answer. 

Correction 3

In your article, it states “After numerous requests, they provided no comment on when or why Baker stepped down as Chair but is still on the Executive Board of the organization.”

In reviewing emails, on 1/24/24, your question in an email was “Is he still the Chairman of the Board of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and a Board Trustee for the Home Builders Institute?"

I provided you with an answer on 1/26/24 stating “Mr. Baker resigned as Chair to focus his full attention on his new role as Assistant City Manager.” In your email, you did not ask about Mr. Baker being on the Executive Board of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.

Additional Information

In your prior emails to me, you did not inquire on any relationship that Mr. Baker had with the 49ers during his role as the Chairman for the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area. Your article states “SCNO has discovered that the 49ers are the largest single funder of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.”

Mr. Baker states this is incorrect for two reasons; one, there are several funders that contribute significantly more than the 49ers and two, the 49ers have not provided funding to the organization since 2021. He mentioned that the organization’s website contains information on its mission and a list of the more than 80 corporations, public agencies, non-profit, and religious organizations that have supported their scholarship programs, mentoring and empowerment of Black youth. Mr. Baker also wanted to provide you with contact information for the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area’s current Chairman Danny Williams (contact information redacted), if you have any additional questions on the organization.

Lastly, the City Manager has stated it was his assessment that the Assistant City Manager role that primarily supports the Stadium and Convention Center did not require government experience as a prerequisite. As such, prior government experience was not listed as a requirement in the job announcement and several potential candidates had never worked for local, state or federal government.

Best,

Janine

JANINE DE LA VEGA | Public Information Officer | Director of Communications