Super Bowl LX: Santa Clara to restrict street vendors, illegal merchandise sales in ‘clean zone’ around Levi’s Stadium
In the week leading up to Super Bowl LX and several days after, Santa Clara will restrict certain activities in the area surrounding Levi’s Stadium in an effort to protect public safety in case of a disaster.
The Santa Clara City Council recently approved the special event zone, which the NFL requires as part of the city’s hosting agreement. The map mirrors the one enacted the last time Santa Clara hosted the Super Bowl in 2016, with the area bounded by State Route 237 to the north, Calabazas Creek to the west, Highway 101 and Montague Expressway to the south and the Guadalupe River to the east.
Also known as a “clean zone,” the restricted area aims to manage congestion, keep sidewalks clear of street vendors and ensure first responders have easy access to the stadium and surrounding streets.
Santa Clara officials first unveiled the zone last month, but the mayor and much of the council felt the restrictions were too narrow and would have unintended consequences.
The zone will be activated at 8 a.m. on Feb. 1 and run through 10 p.m. on Feb. 10. During that time the following will be prohibited: outdoor food or beverage sales except those within a businesses’ normal operations, outdoor merchandise sales and mobile vending or advertising. Sidewalk vending permits will also be paused, temporary structures will need permits in order to be erected on non-residential properties and promotional giveaways will be limited except on private property by businesses operating in the area.
“These regulations are targeted, temporary and focused on safety, mobility and protecting the general welfare of the public,” Assistant City Manager Elizabeth Klotz told the council. “They are not intended to restrict normal business operations and do not impact permitted activity that follows the city’s established process.”
The city is also warning individuals without a ticket to the Big Game to stay away.
“We certainly want to attract everyone to this area that has tickets to the game, that is going to one of our businesses or any of the other special events,” City Manager Jovan Grogan said. “Our public safety plan really does not contemplate throngs of people who may not have tickets just to be loitering around that area.”
Despite the unanimous approval by the council, concerns still persisted. Mayor Lisa Gillmor worried that businesses in the area will look at the restrictions as “punitive.”
“How much of this is public safety and how much of this is the fact that the NFL doesn’t want competition?” she said at the meeting.
Klotz said the city will be taking an “education-first approach” and that zone rules will be enforced by administrative citations or abatement and seizure of property when necessary. Clearing the dozens of street vendors who show up for any given event at Levi’s Stadium, though, could present a “challenge.”
Lt. Aric Enos with the Santa Clara Police Department said their “main focus at the stadium is public safety.”
“We’re not going to prioritize vendors over a larger issue that is occurring — any kind of assault or anything like that,” he said. “Our focus will still be public safety but this does help us in that mission.”
Enos said the street vendors could cause “significant concerns” when it comes to congestion, but there are also “a lot of issues with vendor enforcement.” Usually, the police have to rely on limited Santa Clara County public health officials when it comes to seizing carts.
In the next month-and-half, the city said it will be conducting outreach to residents and businesses in the zone. They’ve also launched a web page dedicated to the initiative, as well.
“We’re going to have to get the word out to all of our businesses and we do want this to be safe — that is the most important,” Councilmember Karen Hardy said. “We want a positive experience, but first off we want safety.”