Bay Area activists are demanding that Democratic lawmakers return campaign donations tied to San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York and press for the full unsealing of his arrest records following a prostitution-related bust.
The pressure campaign, launched through the website jedyorkexposed.com, specifically names Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Sam Liccardo and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as recipients of York’s money who should cut those ties. The petition’s creators — former Charter Review Committee member Holly Roberts, former Senior Advisory Committee member Helen Narcisco and former Civil Service Commission member Carolyn McAllister — built their message around two blunt demands.
“Give the money back. Unseal the arrest record,” the petition declares.
The website documents a $5,700 contribution from York to Khanna for Congress dated May 14, 2024, and a $3,300 contribution to Liccardo for Congress dated June 14, 2024. A $2,500 York contribution to the DCCC also appears on the page, alongside donations from DeBartolo Corp. And other 49ers affiliates to California candidates. The organizers note these checks were written before York’s arrest and that none of the recipients have publicly stated whether they will return the funds.
The group’s push reaches beyond California politics and into Ohio, where they want Columbiana County to unseal the complete arrest record. That includes the police report, booking file and court record, which the activists argue the public has a right to examine.
York, 44, drew a $500,000 fine and six-game suspension from the NFL after the arrest. The petition organizers want Commissioner Roger Goodell to reopen that disciplinary case and hit York with a heavier financial penalty, contending that the current fine amounts to pocket change for a billionaire team owner.
The activists found an unexpected ally in their critique of the NFL’s punishment math. Mike Florio, Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Talk, has publicly questioned the league’s approach to fines, highlighting what he sees as a glaring imbalance.
Florio described York’s fine as “a mere $500,000” following a prostitution-related arrest, while arguing that coach fines were “over the top.”
The coaches’ penalties provide the contrast. Mike Vrabel, Aaron Glenn and Nick Sirianni each faced $250,000 fines placed on hold for sideline arguments with referees — incidents the organizers and Florio suggest look very different when weighed against York’s punishment for a criminal arrest.
The petition frames the NFL’s disciplinary structure as fundamentally broken when a team owner’s criminal conduct draws a lighter relative penalty than coaches’ heated exchanges with officials during games. The organizers’ argument centers on proportionality: York’s wealth renders the $500,000 fine meaningless as deterrent, while working coaches face potentially career-altering financial hits for sideline behavior.
The campaign’s dual-track approach — targeting both Democratic campaign coffers and sealed court documents in Ohio — reflects a strategy aimed at keeping pressure on multiple institutions simultaneously. By naming specific contribution amounts and dates, the website offers verifiable claims that could complicate any attempt by recipients to ignore the demands quietly.
Neither Khanna’s office nor Liccardo’s campaign has issued a public response to the return-the-money push as of the petition’s launch. The DCCC also has not addressed whether it will retain or redirect the York contribution listed on the site.
The arrest itself remains partially obscured by sealed records in Columbiana County, leaving the specific circumstances of York’s encounter with law enforcement undisclosed to the public. The activists’ call to unseal those documents represents an effort to force transparency around an incident that already cost York half a million dollars and half a dozen games of league-imposed absence from team operations.
Goodell’s office has not indicated any plans to revisit the York discipline, despite the petition’s formal request to reopen the case and increase the financial penalty.
The intersection of political fundraising, professional sports discipline and sealed criminal records gives the campaign multiple pressure points, though none have yet produced a visible shift from the targeted officeholders or the league.
York was fined $500,000 by the NFL and suspended for six games following the prostitution-related arrest, with the league treating the matter as resolved under its personal conduct policy.
The petition remains live at jedyorkexposed.com as the organizers continue gathering support for their demands.