Anthony Becker’s tenure on the Santa Clara City Council has come to a close just shy of the end of his term as the now former vice mayor handed in his resignation Friday — the day after a jury found him guilty of leaking a civil grand jury report and lying about it under oath.
Becker, 39, was elected in 2020 but failed to win his reelection bid last month under the cloud of his legal battle. He was indicted in April 2023 and found guilty by a jury in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon for leaking a 2022 civil grand jury report about the San Francisco 49ers’ influence on the council, as well as felony perjury.
In his resignation letter, which is effective immediately, Becker said that it was “always a dream of mine to be a part of the government process, creating our city’s policies, enhancing development and shaping the City’s direction.”
“I’m deeply grateful for the experience, knowledge gained and relationships built with the exceptional city staff and residents over the past ten years,” Becker wrote. “It was the greatest honor, joy and privilege to serve as your representative every day since 2018, whether I was on the City Council or the Planning Commission. I will miss being of service to the people of this wonderful city.”
The city said his District 6 seat will remain vacant until Dec. 17, when Kelly Cox — an assistant dean at Santa Clara University who beat out Becker and one other candidate in the November election — will be sworn in.
Becker’s trial began the day after the election with testimony from Rahul Chandhok — the 49ers’ former chief of communications — who said Becker sent him the report on Oct. 6, 2022, via Signal, an encrypted messaging app. “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” was supposed to be released to the public on Oct. 10, but appeared in several media outlets on Oct. 7.
The 49ers worked quickly to try to discredit the report, it was revealed in court. At the time, the NFL team was backing Becker in his mayoral bid against Mayor Lisa Gillmor to the tune of more than $1.4 million. The 49ers spent another $1 million on attack ads against Gillmor.
Throughout the trial, Becker’s defense team fought to cast doubt in the minds of the jury, arguing that others had access to the report before it was public, as well. His attorneys filed two motions in court earlier this week trying to get the case thrown out — a move Judge Javier Alcala quickly denied.
Becker’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31. Perjury carries a maximum sentence of four years behind bars, but District Attorney Jeff Rosen told reporters on Thursday that he didn’t feel like it was a “a state prison case,” instead suggesting a combination of jail time and fines.
Becker is the third council member to resign in Santa Clara in recent years. In 2018, Dominic Caserta resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct. The DA’s office declined to file charges against Caserta, stating that there was “insufficient evidence.”
In 2020, former Mayor Patricia Mahan resigned citing health reasons. She died in 2023 at the age of 71.
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