49ers tap political strategist, lobbyist for South Bay stadium effort

By Mike Swift
Mercury News

The San Francisco 49ers signaled they are serious about building
regional political support to get a stadium built in Santa Clara,
hiring a veteran San Jose political operative and a Sacramento
lobbyist.

Jude Barry, a key strategist in two 1990s campaigns to build South Bay
stadiums for baseball's San Francisco Giants, will schmooze local
political leaders to rally behind a South Bay stadium effort.
Sacramento lobbyist Kevin Sloat will combat legislation aimed at
blocking a 49ers move. The 49ers are also in the process of hiring a
national public relations firm to work on the stadium effort, team
spokeswoman Lisa Lang said.

Thus far, the 49ers' proposal to build a $600 million to $800 million
stadium near Great America has evoked only tepid support from South
Bay politicians outside Santa Clara -- no counterweight to a cadre of
vocal politicians in San Francisco working to block the team's move.

Santa Clara leaders have spoken to San Jose politicians about ways the
South Bay's dominant city could help the 49ers stadium effort. Still,
no South Bay regional effort is emerging like the 1990 plan that would
have taxed residents of five South Bay cities to pay for a stadium in
Santa Clara for the Giants.

Part of Barry's job will be to network with political leaders in the
South Bay and throughout the Bay Area to build support for -- or
deflect opposition to -- a 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. And if the
stadium did face a citizen vote in Santa Clara, a clear possibility,
Barry would bring extensive experience on how to organize support.

``He's well-regarded in the South Bay and has just really good
relationships, really solid relationships,'' said Lang, the 49ers vice
president for communications.

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