Features

A deal under which the San Francisco 49ers could sell "naming rights'' to Candlestick Park is headed to the full Board of Supervisors for a vote -- but without a recommendation from the Finance Committee. 

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who heads the committee, predicted a "pitched battle'' among his colleagues. One of them, Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, just proposed an end to such selling of naming rights for not only the athletic stadium but for all of the city's public places. 

The board's budget analyst also recently turned his thumbs down on the plan. 

"The Budget Analyst cannot recommend approval of the proposed ordinance,'' wrote Harvey Rose in his report to the Finance Committee. He cited concerns about a lack of competitive bidding and how much money the city would get, among other reasons. 

"There is no assurance that the city is receiving the greatest economic benefit,'' Rose said of the agreement negotiated by the city's Recreation and Park Department. 

The proposed five-year deal is renewable if the 49ers extend their contract and includes granting the right to sell advertising inside the stadium in exchange for at least $625,000 annually. The team would pick up repair work that San Francisco previously was obligated to perform. 

The stadium had been named after Silicon Valley's 3Com Corp. in recent years, but with the current economic downturn that company gave up on the idea, raising the question of what happens next.