Huge thanks to our Weekly reporter David Alexander for peeling the lid off the monumentally manufactured mess at Santa Clara’s Convention Center.
Many residents have inquired why Santa Clara has been virtually silent as activities around this year’s big games have been ignored, while those next door in San José get wide advertising and press. The answer to that question is that the city’s destination marketing organization — Discover Santa Clara — is MIA. It should be renamed the Disappeared Marketing Organization.
Over a decade ago, Mayor Lisa Gillmor dismantled the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and dismissed its skilled team at the Santa Clara Convention Center. At that time, the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce operated the CVB and the Convention Center. They booked dozens of events and brought millions of dollars to our city. Hotels benefited, restaurants were crowded and Santa Clara’s bottom line was the beneficiary.
This was over a decade ago, before a newly elected council gave Mayor Lisa Gillmor a majority of council votes.
Gillmor didn’t waste any time dismantling the Chamber and CVB. This move centralized her authority and fulfilled her three-decade goal of removing the CVB.
It was also when she led her council majority to terminate David’s Restaurant’s lease. She was promoting a possible huge development on the former golf course with The Related Companies, and David’s long-term lease was in her way.
Instead of working with David, Gillmor and her council majority voted in favor of eminent domain and seized his restaurant.
It was the first time eminent domain was ever used in Santa Clara. The council ousted David’s in preparation for the huge Related Companies project on the restaurant parcel and the old golf course.
That was over a decade ago and still nothing has been built on the golf course and David’s building is still there, but long empty.
Let that sink in. Gillmor cut a deal with the Related Companies for our golf course property more than 10 years ago, yet nothing has been built to this day. This 240-acre parcel is probably the most valuable empty acreage in the Bay Area.
In 10 years, the project has delivered a measly $1 million to the city’s bottom line. That’s $79 million less than Santa Clara was promised back in 2016. The only other benefit goes to Gillmor. That’s the money Related spends during each election period to support Gillmor-endorsed candidates.
Santa Clara gets zero sales, business or property tax, and minimal rent. There is no use of or benefit from this fabulous piece of ground.
Santa Clara’s golf course is gone, David’s Restaurant is gone, our CVB is gone, and the dream of Related’s live-work-play destination has never arrived.
The bottom line is very clear.
Promises made but not fulfilled are as empty as our former golf course.
Removal of the CVB was a bureaucratic bungle.
Leadership by Mayor Lisa Gillmor has been like her chosen destination marketing organization: MIA.
Previous Milestones:
Milestones – From Fairy Tale to Nightmare – Opinion
Milestones – Daniel Chung is … – Opinion
Milestones – The Good Old Boys May Not Be So Good – Opinion
