An investigator and the city’s human resources department decided only to search city software when trying to determine who at city hall leaked confidential information about the FIFA World Cup.
A city-hired independent investigator, San Francisco-based Renne Public Law Group (RPLG), presented its findings during a special item held ahead of the Santa Clara City Council’s Oct. 20 meeting. Those findings concluded that nobody at city hall used city software to leak a 2023 confidential memo. That memo, from City Attorney Glen Googins, detailed how hosting the FIFA World Cup at Levi’s Stadium could cost the city millions of dollars.
In a response to questions submitted after the meeting, Janine De la Vega, the city’s public information officer, wrote that City Manager Jovan Grogan and Googins initiated the investigation. Since Grogan and Googins had access to the leaked information, they turned over the investigation to the HR department, which retained RPLG…