TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Jen Baker
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: January 16, 2026
Approved
Date:
1/23/26
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUBJECT: Approval of “Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for Special Events
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing “Free Use” and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for the private, ticketed Super Bowl Weekend Kehlani SJ City Hall Block Party Concert and Dom Dolla San José Street Party held at the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West and South Plazas on Friday, February 6, 2026, and Saturday, February 7, 2026, including setup and takedown starting on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, and ending on Monday, February 9, 2026, co-hosted by the City Manager’s Office, the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs and 15Utah LLC.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
The City Manager’s Office, the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs and 15Utah LLC will be granted free rental use of the City Hall facilities (City Hall Rotunda, City Hall East, West, and South Plazas, and parking in the City Hall Garage and 4
th Street Garage) for the Super Bowl Weekend Kehlani SJ City Hall Block Party Concert and Dom Dolla San José Street Party, including setup and takedown days, from February 4, 2026, through February 9, 2026.
BACKGROUND
In June 2019, the City adopted the Schedule of Fees Resolution No. 79138, Section
13.080 for Free Use of the City Hall Facility and Plaza Use. The resolution allows the City Council and City departments to have “Free Use” of the facilities for those events COUNCIL AGENDA: 2/3/26
FILE: 26-082
ITEM: 2.7
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
January 16, 2026
Subject: Approval of “Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for Special Events
that: 1) qualify as official City business; 2) are free and open to the public; 3) occur on a Sunday through Friday; and 4) are booked 30 days in advance. Resolution No. 79138 does not apply to “Free Use” requests for private, ticketed events that are not free and taking place on Saturday, and as such City Council approval is required to authorize “Free Use” for the Kehlani SJ City Hall Block Party Concert and Dom Dolla San José Street Party, including setup and takedown, at the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas from Wednesday, February 4, 2026, through Monday, February 9, 2026.
15Utah LLC, in conjunction with the City Manager’s Office and the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, seek approval of free use of City Hall facilities to hold the DJ Dials x 15Utah x SJ Foos Super Bowl Weekend at the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas on Friday, February 6, 2026, and Saturday, February 7, 2026. Approval for these events’ “Free Use” designation is required because the events will be private, ticketed, and will include a Saturday event day. Starting ticket prices charged by 15Utah LLC are $85 for General Admission tickets and $230 for VIP tickets for each concert, with an estimated 253,000 paying attendees.
Both concerts are sold out.
ANALYSIS
In preparation for the 2026 major sports events in the Bay Area—Super Bowl LX, National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball West Regional Games, and FIFA World Cup—City staff have developed the SJ26 Strategic Plan (Plan). The Plan is designed to foster civic pride, maximize local economic impact, create lasting community value, and position San José as a premier destination for large-scale national and international events.
The Plan consists of several work streams: 1) branding; 2) marketing; 3) sponsorship; 4) events/programming; 5) policy work; 6) public rights-of-way management; and 7) public safety/emergency operations.
Implementation of the Plan will provide opportunities for the community to share in the excitement of these events through neighborhood activations, including watch parties, concerts, block parties, and other family-oriented activities located along neighborhood business districts. For Super Bowl LX, City staff have developed a series of local events that residents can enjoy regardless of whether they are able to attend the game. The DJ Dials x 15Utah x SJ Foos Super Bowl Weekend will feature two concerts at City Hall East, West, and South Plazas, with performances by Kehlani on February 6, 2026, and Dom Dolla on February 7, 2026.
The DJ Dials x 15Utah x SJ Foos Super Bowl Weekend also supports the objective to “activate San José as the South Bay’s hub for sports, arts, and entertainment,” as
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
January 16, 2026
Subject: Approval of “Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for Special Events
outlined in the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs Economic Strategy Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2025–2026 and Fiscal Year 2026–2027.
“Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda, City Hall East, West, and South Plazas, and parking at the City Hall Garage and the 4
th Street Garage is requested based on the
substantial public benefit derived from offering accessible, community-focused programming that celebrates music and culture, encourages downtown visitation, and supports the City’s economic development and placemaking goals.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Neighborhood activations and downtown events associated with Super Bowl LX— including the DJ Dials x 15Utah x SJ Foos Super Bowl Weekend concerts—are expected to attract substantial attendance, with an estimated 25,000 attendees across the two concert dates, increase foot traffic in downtown and neighborhood business districts, and support local businesses through increased visitation. Some performance metrics include the event attendance participation by local artists and vendors within both events, and utilization of public spaces and parking facilities. Qualitatively, this aims to strengthen civic pride, enhance San José’s regional and international brand, and improve community perception of the City’s capacity to host large-scale national and international events. Post-event evaluation will include community, partner, and stakeholder feedback, media and public sentiment analysis, and assessment of alignment with the City’s long-term economic development and cultural goals and the creation of future partnerships in the arts and technology sectors.
COST SUMMARY/IMPLICATIONS
Each year, City departments may exercise a “free use” for qualifying events up to five times. Approval of the recommendation for the six free use days will count as three of the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs’ free uses and three of the City Manager’s Office free uses. The estimated total cost of the event is $98,781, of which $20,481 will be paid by 15Utah LLC for City staffing and miscellaneous fees other than facility rental.
Approval of the free use request would waive the remaining event costs, totaling $78,300, as detailed below, for facility rental of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plaza. Additional costs that are incurred beyond these estimates will be covered by 15Utah LLC.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
January 16, 2026
Subject: Approval of “Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for Special Events
Facility Rental (Room Charges)
East and West Plaza (February 4, 5, 6, 7): $4,760 x 4 = $19,040 East and West Plaza (February 8): $3,360
East and West Plaza (February 9): $2,800
South Plaza (February 4, 5, 6, 7): $2,380 x 4 = $9,520
South Plaza (February 8): $1,680
South Plaza (February 9): $1,400
Rotunda (February 4, 5, 6, 7): $7,650 x 4 = $30,600
Rotunda (February 8): $5,400
Rotunda (February 9): $4,500
Total: $78,300
The City will also incur a loss of revenue from the 7% gross ticket admission receipts, estimated at $39,400. In addition, foregone parking revenue to the General Purpose Parking Operating Fund for the validation of tickets issued to attendees using the City Hall Parking Garage and 4th Street Garage is estimated to be $6,000 (based on 300 cars x 8 hours, or a maximum of $20 per day).
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, City Manager’s Budget Office and Public Works Department.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the February 3, 2026 City Council meeting.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-011, Temporary Special Events resulting in no changes to the physical environment.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
January 16, 2026
Subject: Approval of “Free Use” of the City Hall Rotunda and City Hall East, West, and South Plazas and Waiver of Gross Admission Receipts Percentage Fee for Special Events
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
Pursuant to California Government Code § 53083, “Economic development subsidy” means any expenditure of public funds or loss of revenue to a local agency in the amount of $100,000 or more, for the purpose of stimulating economic development within the jurisdiction of a local agency, including, but not limited to, bonds, grants, loans, loan guarantees, enterprise zone or empowerment zone incentives, fee waivers, land price subsidies, matching funds, tax abatements, tax exemptions, and tax credits.
With approval of this action, the City Council will be waiving $78,300 in Facility Rental Fees, and the City will realize a loss of revenue of 7% gross ticket admission receipts, $39,352.66, and a loss of parking revenue of $6,000, for a total economic development subsidy of $123,652.66 to 15Utah LLC.
JEN BAKER
Director of the City Manager’s Office of
Economic Development and Cultural
Affairs
For questions, please contact Leonela (Nelly) Torres, Senior Events Manager, City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, at [email protected]
or (408) 975-7134.