Santa Clara: Still no trial date set for indicted Councilmember Anthony Becker over leaked 49ers report

A trial date has yet to be set for Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker, who was indicted earlier this year for allegedly leaking a confidential civil grand jury report to the San Francisco 49ers and then lying about it.

Becker returned to court last week where prosecutors asked a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge to start his trial on March 4, 2024, according to a District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Cynthia Sumida. But Becker’s attorney, public defender Christopher Montoya, objected, arguing he needed more time to review the most recent documents received in the case.

While a judge didn’t set the March date in stone, the court still is aiming to start the trial then, Sumida said. Becker’s next court hearing is set for Nov. 29.

The councilman was indicted in April on a misdemeanor charge for leaking a confidential civil grand jury report about the 49ers to the team, as well a felony perjury charge for lying about it.

The report, titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” was highly critical of several Santa Clara councilmembers’ — Becker included — relationship with the NFL team, questioning whether regularly held closed-door meetings violated state laws.

Montoya previously told reporters that “first-time impressions of a case are often wrong or incomplete,” although several individuals interviewed by the grand jury that indicted Becker revealed in court transcripts that the councilmember was the source of the leak.

If convicted on the perjury charge, Becker could face up to four years in county jail.