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Santa Clara committee adopts formal ticket-distribution policy, excludes complimentary NFL game tickets
Summary
The Governance & Ethics Committee approved a citywide policy to accept and distribute tickets received by the city, require a ticket administrator, and publish FPPC Form 802 disclosures; the committee added an amendment prioritizing council members serving on related committees when ticket supplies are limited.
The Governance & Ethics Committee voted unanimously Oct. 30 to forward a newly drafted ticket-distribution policy to the full City Council after the committee added a single amendment directing staff to prioritize council members who serve on committees or boards related to the event when ticket allocations are limited.
City Manager Jovan Grogan and Maria Le, assistant to the city manager, presented the draft policy and said the city has not previously had a uniform ticket-distribution rule. Staff said the policy is intended to ensure all tickets or passes received by the city are accepted and distributed for legitimate city-related public purposes, documented, and disclosed when required under FPPC regulations.
The draft policy lists the kinds of tickets the city may accept: city-purchased tables or tickets, complimentary tickets from partners, tickets generated by city venues (for example conventions or other events held at city facilities), and tickets for recognition events for residents, businesses or volunteers. The policy explicitly excludes complimentary NFL game tickets from the San Francisco 49ers; city staff noted that complementary access to the stadium museum or special non-NFL events at Levi—9s Stadium may still be accepted if they meet public-purpose criteria.
"The use of the city distributed tickets is a privilege and it's not a right," Maria Le said, describing how a ticket administrator designated by the city manager would manage receipts and distribution and complete FPPC Form 802 filings for city-received tickets. Staff said the city would post Form 802 filings on the city website and could create a dedicated page listing ticket distributions for transparency.
Committee members pressed staff on common implementation details: how to value tickets for disclosure in fundraising galas, whether surcharges apply to complimentary tickets, how to prioritize limited tickets and whether individual council budgets should be considered to purchase tickets. Staff said the policy will be accompanied by procedures and City Manager Directives that address valuation, redistribution, and administrative priorities; the committee added an amendment directing staff to give priority to council members assigned to related committees or advisory bodies when tickets are scarce.
A committee member moved to forward the policy with that amendment; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Staff will prepare the final council policy language and implementation procedures and bring the policy to the full City Council for adoption.
