Council approves league agreement to host Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium after contentious debate over financial backstop

After extended discussion and pointed questions about financial risk and insurer guarantees, the Santa Clara City Council approved a league event agreement that governs the city’s role in hosting Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium and related events.

The agreement assigns the City of Santa Clara to act as the lead local agency responsible for public safety, traffic and related stadium‑zone operations for the game and associated activities. It obligates the Bay Area Host Committee to reimburse the city for “qualified event expenses” (planning, training and actual event deployment costs) and requires an advance payment timed before the event. The 49ers’ stadium tenant entity (STADCO) agreed to a direct backstop obligation to cover any shortfall if the host committee cannot meet reimbursement obligations.

City Manager Jevon Grogan and City Attorney Glenn Guggen described the deal’s core protections for the city: a transparent invoicing and dispute process for reimbursable costs, an advance payment from the host committee (50% of projected actual event expenses), monthly billing with an expedited arbitration option for disputes above specified thresholds, and a stadco obligation to cover any qualified expense shortfall with a 6% annual interest charge if stadco did not pay when due.

Guggen told the council the agreement implements Article 21 of the stadium lease and preserves the city and stadium authority’s position under that lease while adding event‑specific safeguards. He…