SF Chronicle: DA Slams Indicted Council Member's 'Leaking and Lying,' Accuses 49ers of 'Smearing' Jurors

A Santa Clara City Council member, accused of leaking a confidential report to a San Francisco 49ers lobbyist and then lying about it under oath, went to court Monday but didn’t enter a plea.

Anthony Becker, 35, whose failed bid for mayor of Santa Clara last year received $2.5 million in donations from 49ers CEO Jed York, needs more time to find a lawyer, said Deputy Public Defender Chris Montoya.

Becker was indicted last week for his role in a scheme to help the 49ers blunt the impact of a scathing grand jury report that accused the team of improper political meddling in Santa Clara. According to the indictment, Becker gave a confidential copy of the report to 49ers lobbyist Rahul Chandhok, who began attacking the report and accusing its authors of “corruption” even before the document was released.