REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on adoption of Resolution to establish the Stadium Neighborhood Relations Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Committee) and appoint up to three City Councilmembers with one alternate to serve on the Committee.
Report
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clara welcomed Levi’s® Stadium (Stadium) with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 17, 2014; the inaugural Stadium event was a San Jose Earthquakes match that took place on August 2, 2014.
In the last decade that the Stadium has been in operation for National Football League (NFL) and non-NFL events, the City has established procedures and programs to help address impacts to the neighborhoods. These include the Neighborhood Protection Detail, a hotline for residents to report stadium-related issues, and the Police Department’s Community Response Team.
Levi’s® Stadium will serve as a host venue for two internationally significant events in 2026: Super Bowl LX and FIFA World Cup 2026TM. These events will bring substantial regional attention and economic activity to Santa Clara and will likely also result in temporary disruptions and neighborhood impacts, including traffic, parking, noise, and public safety concerns.
As the City continues its preparations for these events and Levi’s hosts regular NFL games and non-NFL events, staff recognizes the importance of maintaining strong communication and collaboration between the City, residents, businesses, and stadium stakeholders. Additionally, the City Council’s priority initiatives include establishing a subcommittee focused on Stadium/community relations. As such, the creation of a focused ad hoc subcommittee will allow the City Council to work directly with staff, community members, and businesses to ensure neighborhood concerns are heard and addressed throughout the planning process. The Ad Hoc Subcommittee will help foster engagement and communication with the residents in the neighborhoods that will be impacted.
DISCUSSION
An Ad Hoc Subcommittee is a temporary committee established by the City Council, comprised of less than a quorum of Councilmembers, to address a specific issue or project of limited scope and duration. Ad Hoc subcommittees are typically formed to study, evaluate, or provide recommendations on topics that require focused attention outside of the regular Council meeting structure.
To establish the Stadium Neighborhood Relations Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Committee), the City Council will need to take action to approve the Committee and appoint up to three Councilmembers to serve as the Committee.
Committee Structure:
The Committee could consist of up to three Council members who will serve as the Committee members. To support the efforts of the Committee, representative(s) from the Police Department; Stadium management; and City/Stadium Authority staff will participate in Committee meetings as appropriate.
The Committee’s duration will be from December 2025 through August 2026.
This Committee would be an ad hoc subcommittee and, therefore, is not a legislative body under the Brown Act. Notwithstanding, in recognition of the Committee’s purpose in engaging the affected community, staff will make it a priority to publicly notice meetings so that community members can attend and provide input.
Committee Focus:
The focus of the Committee will be to address concerns and impacts from the Stadium events. It will serve as a forum for dialogue between the Stadium, city staff, elected officials, residents, and businesses.
The Committee will serve as a forum for communication and coordination rather than a decision-making body regarding operational or deployment matters.
The goal is to share with the residents and businesses the impacts that will include traffic issues, noise and quality of life issues, parking in neighborhoods, weekend curfew, creek trail impacts, rideshare drop-off zones, public benefits, and processes for handling complaints.
Committee Meeting Frequency and Location:
The Committee would meet four times; December 2025, February/March 2026, May 2026, and August 2026.
Council has expressed a desire to host the committee meetings in the northside of the city. In alignment with this, it is envisioned that the Committee meetings will be held at the Northside Branch Library.
The dates and times of the Committee meetings will vary to allow flexibility in scheduling, providing several key benefits. Varying the dates and times of meetings will create more opportunities for residents and businesses to participate, particularly those with differing work schedules, family commitments, or other constraints. This approach also enables the committee to meet as needed in response to emerging issues or new information related to major event planning.
Committee Members:
The City Council will need to appoint up to three councilmembers to serve as committee members and a Council member to serve as an alternate.
Committee Area:
The Committee’s focus area will include the residential neighborhoods surrounding Levi’s® Stadium, as well as the new housing developments in the Tasman East area. Specifically, the focus area extends south from Gianera Street to Agnew Road, and east from Moreland Way to Lick Mill Boulevard, up to Calle De Mundo. A map outlining these boundaries is attached to this report.
Staff collaborated with the Police Department to develop the map, which identifies the residential areas most likely to experience impacts from the major events occurring at the Stadium.
Communication to Residents:
Staff will send a notice to all residents within the committee area to inform them of the establishment of the Committee, the purpose of the Committee, the anticipated meeting schedule, and the meeting location.
To hold the first Committee meeting in December 2025, staff will need the City Council to establish the Committee at tonight’s meeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
At this time there is no fiscal impact to the Stadium Authority or the City other than staff time. Any expenses associated with the Committee (noticing, hosting the meetings, etc.) will be charged to the Stadium Authority based on existing policies and practices.
Police Department participation will be accommodated within existing resources; no new resources have been identified or provided for this purpose. This effort will occur concurrently with extensive planning and operational commitments related to the 2026 events.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated by the City Manager’s Office and City Attorney’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adoption of a resolution establishing a Stadium Neighborhood Relations Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Committee) through August 2026, appoint up to three Councilmembers with one alternate to serve on the Committee, and direct staff to take all necessary and appropriate actions to implement and support the Committee.
Staff
Reviewed by: Paulina Morales, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Jovan Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENT
1. Draft Resolution
2. Stadium Neighborhood Relations Ad Hoc Subcommittee Area Map