Santa Clara’s new slogan was on full display during the state of the city gala.
On Sept. 24, at the Mission City Center for Performing Arts at Wilcox High School, 3250 Monroe St., elected officials, city employees, community leaders and the general public turned out to revel in the city’s accomplishments and look forward to the next year.
With a theme of “shaping tomorrow, celebrating today,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s keynote emphasized honoring Santa Clara’s legacy while charting a forward-thinking path into the future. The city is where “nostalgia meets diversity,” she said.
Its quaint parks and festivals give Santa Clara a small-town charm.
“That richness of culture is what fuels our city’s energy and spirit,” Gillmor said. “I’d like to say that we are one of those rare places where you can bump into your neighbor at the grocery store, cheer on an NFL team at Levi’s Stadium on the weekend, attend community college for free and enjoy the annual city cleanup program each spring.”
This sentiment echoes the city’s slogan for 2026 marquee events, Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup. The previous night, at the council’s regularly scheduled meeting, the city unveiled that slogan: “Where the mission meets the moment.”
On the flip side of the coin, with its own power company, tech giant Nvidia, one of the highest concentrations of data centers in the world, a convention center and Levi’s Stadium, Gillmor said the city is also a “dynamic modern city built for big business.”
That was by design.
“These bold moves were not just projects,” she said. “They were commitments to shaping a city that would gain prominence, one that would stand out today because of that vision.”
In addition to being an “epicenter” of innovation — with projects like Nvidia’s $100 billion investment in open AI and Sutter Health’s expansion of its Santa Clara campus — the city is also adding housing at an accelerated clip. The city’s uptown district, referred to as the Clara District, hosts seven high-rises with below-market-rate apartments, and the city is adding more housing every day.
Gillmor also acknowledged some heartbreaks. She lamented how long the George Haines International Swim Center (ISC) has been closed, the stalling of the downtown revitalization and the likely closing of California Great America. She called returning the city’s downtown a “priority.”
“I promise you, any decisions will involve the community every step of the way,” she said. “Every community needs a heart and soul.”
But, at least for the ISC, relief is in sight. A $400 million infrastructure bond will fund repairs at the ISC, set to begin early next year. The bond is not just “numbers on a paper,” Gillmor said.
“It’s a road map to rebuilding and renewing the very facilities that touch our lives every day,” she said.
Touching on the city’s commitment to environmentalism, Gillmor detailed projects that illustrate that commitment. She noted how the city has installed 100 electric vehicle charging stations, its Vision Zero plan aimed at making more walkable and bikeable communities, as well as its on-demand, clean-energy shuttle, SV Hopper.
Rapid expansion of Silicon Valley Power’s system will accommodate a growing slew of data centers. Gillmor called them the city’s “anchor.”
“This is what it takes to power the future and to keep business growing here instead of expanding somewhere else, and it’s what it takes to keep our community confident that Santa Clara can deliver the infrastructure of tomorrow,” Gillmor said.
Leveraging city-owned land like the Related Santa Clara project as well as unfreezing several city positions paused during the pandemic and restoring its budget stabilization reserve has positioned the city for financial success, she said. She said the city’s “fiscal house is strong.”
Circling back around to the Super Bowl and FIFA games, Gillmor said the events would “shine a spotlight” on Santa Clara, and that the city will not just be hosting games, it will be “hosting history.”
“When the world arrives, they will not just see a stadium. They will see our city,” Gillmor said. “They will see the diversity of our neighborhoods, the creativity of our businesses and the fabric of our culture. They will see who we are — a city that can welcome the world while still feeling like home. 2026 will be more than games. It will be a chance to show the world what Santa Clara is all about.”
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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