Possible Santa Clara layoffs put cloud over Super Bowl 50 plans

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- It appears that more than 200 employees lost their jobs Thursday afternoon as Santa Clara County prepares to take over ownership of the Santa Clara Convention Center. This is putting a cloud over plans for Super Bowl 50.

Five-hundred events are held at the convention center, helping to fill up nearby hotels and restaurants. It also supports hundreds of jobs. But by this time next month, it may not be able to operate.

Dozens of employees showed up for a rally, seeking help from a little known but powerful body that can make key decisions about the Santa Clara Convention Center. Two hundred of them work at the convention center, 17 others work at the Convention & Visitors Bureau that promotes the facility and books events.

"You walk through our building now and everybody's still trying to work with a smile on their face," said Danielle Dennison with the Santa Clara Convention Centre. "But you can tell, inside their hearts are bleeding. Nobody knows what the outcome is going to be."

The convention center opened 29 years ago, built by the city under its redevelopment agency. However, Gov. Jerry Brown eliminated such agencies three years ago as part of budget cuts. Assets have to be sold off, but the interim agency has been asked by the county to cut out over $900,000 that funds the convention bureau. The county takes ownership next month.

"The city won't own it anymore in the middle of April," said Convention & Visitors Bureau President Steve Van Horn. "And the successor agency -- the Oversight Board -- has not approved any funding from April through the end of June."

This comes as Santa Clara is working on civic events for next year's Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium.

"If they want to simply embarrass us when it comes to the 50th Super Bowl because we won't be able to have the events we promised, if they want to deprive us of the opportunity as a county and the region to shine, this is their moment to do that," said Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews.

The oversight board turned down a motion to postpone action on the county's cuts. It then approved the cuts. Both motions on a 5 to 2 vote with the only support coming from the two city of Santa Clara representatives.

That means the future of the convention center is in doubt because the convention bureau will lose its funding, putting people out of work and having no one to book future business.

"I understand where these people are coming from, but we're bound by very specific statutes on what we can and cannot do," said Oversight Board Chairman Don Gage.

Santa Clara is now considering what to do next.

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