Author: Alfredo Casuso

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

MAYOR LONDON BREED AND BUSINESS LEADERS ANNOUNCE COMMITMENT TO SAN FRANCISCO

Major businesses join City in committing to return to work plans starting in the month of March

San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed and business leaders announced plans to commit to returning to in-person work in San Francisco throughout the month of March. Mayor Breed has worked with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and business leaders on implementing return to in-person work policies through the “Welcome Back to SF” pledge as the Omicron surge subsides.

As one of the highest vaccinated cities in the country, San Francisco is poised to welcome workers back to the office. The Omicron surge tested and proved the efficacy of vaccines—despite a peak case rate 6.5 times the peak of the largest previous surge in January 2021, San Francisco’s COVID mortality rate during the same period was less than half what it was in January 2021 and even lower amongst vaccinated individuals. After two years of primarily remote work policies by office-based industries, San Francisco’s office core, comprised of the Financial District, East Cut, Union Square, Yerba Buena, Civic Center, and Mission Bay neighborhoods, has not shown the same degree of economic recovery as that of other City neighborhoods. The decrease in the number of workers has had significant repercussions for the small businesses that cater to offices and their employees.

City and County of San Francisco workers, many of whom have been telecommuting since the start of the Omicron surge, are scheduled to return to the office in varied capacities beginning Monday, March 7. Joining the City in this commitment to implement policies to bring employees back to offices are companies including Bank of America, Blackrock, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, FibroGen, Gap, the Golden State Warriors, Google, HOK, Invitae, JP Morgan Chase, Kilroy, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Orrick, Salesforce, the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco Symphony, SPUR, Uber, United Airlines, University of California San Francisco, Visa, and Wells Fargo.

By pledging to Welcome Back to SF, each of these companies is committed to implementing return to in-person work policies in March. However, in the wake of widespread telecommute policies adopted during the pandemic, return to office policies may vary across companies. Regardless, the Welcome Back to SF pledge signifies a critical milestone in the resumption of economic activity and progression towards adopting long-term operating models that respond to the needs and considerations of individual businesses and their employees.

“By committing to San Francisco, these businesses and many more are investing in this City and what makes it special – the people who live and work here,” said Mayor Breed. “We are excited to welcome people back to downtown to work, to dine, and to experience the arts and culture that make this City special. This March is the start of a new beginning for this City, and I want to thank all the businesses and workers who are committed to supporting our city and our small businesses.”

“We cannot overstate how important workers returning to their offices is to our survival and ultimately to the richness of San Francisco,” said Denise Tran from Bun Mee. “We have been tightening our belts and doing the best we can over the last two years, but without workers filling our downtown, it has been difficult. We’ve missed the bustle, the laughter, and the energy of having a full house each day. We depend on each other and can’t wait to welcome the return of employees downtown.”

The City has also partnered with several downtown stakeholders, including Boston Properties at Embarcadero Center, East Cut Community Benefits District, the Ferry Building, Union Square Alliance, Transbay Joint Powers Authority, Westfield San Francisco Centre, and the Crossing at East Cut to curate a series of events spanning the last week of March as part of efforts to welcome workers back downtown. More details on programming will be announced soon.

Additionally, through a $12.2 million investment by the City, Welcome Ambassadors are stationed throughout San Francisco’s office core, including transit hubs and popular congregation points, to provide a welcoming atmosphere for returning office workers, residents, and tourists. Welcome Ambassadors also assist with street cleanliness, and maintenance. These Ambassadors supplement similar existing programs within each of the four Community Benefits Districts that serve San Francisco’s office core.

Support from the Business Community on Returning to SF

Sonia Syngal, CEO of Gap Inc: “Our culture is fueled by teams connecting meaningfully with each other to create and innovate for our customers. With that as our north star, we have spent the last year and a half completely redesigning our 2 Folsom San Francisco office with more agile workspaces, supported by technology that enables new ways of working. As we welcome more employees back to the office, there’s a palpable energy with teams working together in a new, beautiful environment where they are inspired to do their best work. And we look forward to contributing to the revival of downtown San Francisco through the opening of four new retail stores – Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta – on the ground floor of our 2 Folsom building later this year.”

Enrique Conterno, Chief Executive Officer of FibroGen: “We are proud to be part of the vibrant Mission Bay community, which is a factor in our attraction and retention of great talent. We have remained open throughout the pandemic, and we’re delighted that more of our employees feel safe returning to the office, which we believe helps to deepen connection, foster collaboration, progress our science and invest in the local community in which we operate.”

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO: “One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that the benefits of in-person collaboration and camaraderie cannot be replaced. While we have not yet mandated in-person work, more and more colleagues have been returning voluntarily to our Mission Bay offices recently, and it has been reinvigorating to be with them in person again. As this trend continues, the city of San Francisco will benefit as well. Employees heading back to the office – and the coffee they may grab along the way – directly impacts small businesses and services, only strengthening the backbone of our economy. Alongside other company leaders, I have been working regularly from the office each week, and will be encouraging my team to do so. While we’ve made things work virtually the last two years, better days are ahead for the Bay Area.” 

Brandon Schneider, Warriors President & Chief Operating Officer: “In the live entertainment industry, it is no secret that nothing tops in-person interactions and experiences. I am so proud of how the Warriors organization has responded throughout the pandemic in a virtual setting, offering resources for all different facets of our community in need. However, our return to the office has elevated our ability to impact the community’s ongoing needs, offer world-class events and games at Chase Center, and foster a more inclusive, engaging and exciting future for Dub Nation, San Francisco, and the entire Bay Area community. We applaud Mayor Breed’s leadership throughout the pandemic in keeping San Franciscans safe, and are excited for this next phase of welcoming our employees back to the office!”   

Brent Hyder, Salesforce President and Chief People Officer: “Our employees are looking for ways to safely connect in person, and we’re proud to welcome hundreds and soon-to-be thousands of employees to Salesforce Tower daily. As the largest private employer in San Francisco, we are deeply committed to the city and are excited our offices are buzzing again.”

Thomas Li, Meta’s San Francisco Community Engagement Lead: “Bringing the world closer together and connecting people – is our mission and our business. It’s about more than just working remotely; the future of work has community-building at its heart. We look forward to continuing to build that community right here in San Francisco both in and out of the office. We’ve always taken pride in creating vibrant office communities for employees, clients, and partners. We’re committed to San Francisco – as are many of our employees who live here, raise families here and put down roots here. We can’t wait to welcome our teams back to the office as well as this new chapter of the future of work.” 

Andrew Livingston, Orrick’s San Francisco Office Leader: “We are excited to make our offices more accessible this month and expect to transition to the next phase of our hybrid working model in April. While our approach to the workplace will change, we will always have a strong presence in this great community to which we trace our roots. Our team is greatly looking forward to reconnecting in person.”

Ed McLaughlin, Mastercard’s President of Operations and Technology: “As much as technology has helped us collaborate throughout the pandemic, there’s no replacing human connections. They help reinforce who we are and what defines our culture. We look forward to our teams continuing to come together in our San Francisco office to maximize all the city, its small businesses and the broader Bay Area have to offer.”

Shawn Villaron, Microsoft Bay Area Regional Site Leader and Vice President for PowerPoint: “At Microsoft, we understand there is a deep connection between the community and the work we are doing to achieve our mission. We are excited to join other businesses and fully open our facilities in San Francisco to employees, visitors, and guests, as we value the ability to bring people together. With flexibility and inclusion at the core of our workplace approach, we look forward to this next chapter of our hybrid journey.”

Joshua Adler, MD, Chief Clinical Officer of UCSF Health: “Since the pandemic began two years ago, thousands of our care providers, researchers, and frontline workers have continued to come on site every day to our hospitals, clinics and laboratories to serve our public mission. With all that we have learned about preventing transmission in the workplace, we feel very confident about bringing more of our workers back on site.”

Rob Tibbets, Marketing Principle for HOK: “HOK is thrilled to welcome its entire staff back to San Francisco – the city we all love. We look forward to the regeneration of our small business neighbors.”

Dave Graham, head of Google’s San Francisco office: “We’ve long believed in the power that comes from having people come together in person to build community, drive innovation, support creativity and solve complex problems — it’s why our campus will play an important role in supporting a flexible hybrid future. Many of our employees in San Francisco have already been coming into the office voluntarily to work and connect with colleagues, and we’re excited that our local Google community will grow even more vibrant as we soon embark on our new hybrid work week journey in the city.”

Jason Strle, CIO Enterprise Functions Technology and San Francisco Bay Area Site Leader for Wells Fargo: “The health and safety of our employees is our top priority and we have prepared for a safe return into the office after two years. We believe in individual and collective benefits from in-person interactions and human connections, including networking, career development, team building, and key business collaboration. We also believe that we benefit from flexibility and will offer flexible schedules to many of our employees. Our customers, clients and company benefit from employees who are empowered to work in a way that fits, including balancing personal schedules, caring for their wellbeing, and pursuing their passions.”

Matthew Spivey, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Symphony: “Ever since the San Francisco Symphony returned to giving in-person performances at Davies Symphony Hall last spring, our musicians have been sharing the joy and energy of live music making with our community again. We see firsthand the vibrancy and liveliness that the arts and our audiences bring to our neighborhood and our city as a whole. This month, the rest of the Symphony staff will also be returning to our offices, joining many of our neighbors in collaborating safely in person again in the heart of San Francisco.”

Alicia John-Baptiste, SPUR President and CEO: “At SPUR, we believe that part of what makes cities so important is the way they bring people together. During the pandemic, we’ve seen many neighborhoods pull together as people started living much more local lives, and that community cohesion has been a real benefit to many. But there is something special about downtowns – where hundreds of thousands of people can come together in community, for arts and culture, for work, to make their voices heard, to explore and learn – and that’s been missing for so much of the past two years. I’m looking forward to seeing our downtowns return, with all their vitality.”

Rodney Fong, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce: “San Francisco’s business districts are the economic core of our city and their vibrance is key to the economic recovery. The Chamber of Commerce is back in the office in a hybrid model. We are eager to work with our member businesses and Mayor Breed to bring San Franciscans and Bay Area residents back to the office to reinvigorate neighborhoods that have suffered during the pandemic.”

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Media Contact:  DP&A, Inc. / David Perry  (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR ONSITE COVERAGE:
SATURDAY, FEB 26: 3PM 

WHO: The Union Square Alliance & Fisherman’s Wharf CBD
John’s Grill & the Buena Vista present

WHAT: Cable Car Appreciation Day

WHEN: Saturday, February 26: 3pm – 6pm

WHERE: John’s Grill: 63 Ellis Street

HOW MUCH: Free to gather; $8 for one-way cable car ticket (online registration required via link below); Food and Drinks to be paid for by attendees

WEB: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ding-ding-a-cable-car-appreciation-gathering-tickets-264896842587

WHY: The Union Square Alliance in partnership with Fisherman’s Wharf CBD, Erica Sandberg and two historic sites, John’s Grill and the Buena Vista, sponsor “Cable Car Appreciation Day” to encourage locals and tourists alike to sample some of the fine food and drinks along San Francisco’s famed Powell Street Cable Car line. At 3pm this Saturday, February 26, members of the public are invited to meet at John’s Grill (63 Ellis Street) for some specialty bites and beverages and then hop onboard one of SF’s historic moving national monument, the Cable Cars, for a trip over the hill to the Hyde Street Pier / Fisherman’s Wharf for an end-of-the-line drink at the Buena Vista: home of the legendary Irish Coffee that was invented there. NOTE: Attendees ARE NOT GIVE PRIORITY IN THE CABLE CAR LINE. Attendees will need to cue with tourists / others in line: first come, first served.

About the Union Square Alliance:
The Union Square Alliance serves members and creates a high-quality visitor experience by managing and activating public spaces, attracting new investment, and advocating for the District’s future success. Union Square is the vibrant heart of San Francisco and an international destination where visitors come to enjoy exceptional retail experiences, luxury hotels, world-class cultural institutions, and great public spaces found only in the City by the Bay.  A lively 27-block community surrounding Union Square Park in the heart of San Francisco makes up the Union Square Alliance. It is generally bordered on the north by Bush Street, on the east by Kearny Street, on the south by Market Street and on the west Taylor Street. For more information on the Alliance, go to www.visitunionsquaresf.com 

media contact: David Perry (415) 676-7007/ news@davidperry.com 

Third Round of LGBTQ Honorees Selected for San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk 

Diverse Group of 24 New Additions with International Impact 

Joins 44 Plaques in Castro District  Sidewalks 

www.rainbowhonorwalk.org

23 February 2022—San Francisco CA: The Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org) today announced its full slate of 24 history-making LGBTQ pioneers to be honored with sidewalk tributes in the city’s Castro District. 

Last year, the all-volunteer Board of Directors began its selection process with the unanimous selection of Phyllis Lyon, the world renowned San Francisco-based activist for lesbian rights and visibility. The group has finalized this selection round with 23 additional individuals to memorialize. To date, the nonprofit organization has installed 36 sidewalk tributes, with another previously chosen 8 plaques scheduled for placement this spring.

“We continue to find inspiration and strength from the lives of LGBTQ pioneers,” says Rainbow Honor Walk board president Donna Sachet. “In this diverse group of names, some are quite famous and others not as well-known. As we review hundreds of names for inclusion, we seek to honor individuals from a wide range of careers and across a great span of history to highlight contributions that have truly changed the world. The process of doing this, especially during the ongoing pandemic, has only strengthened the love and appreciation we feel for our far-flung community.” 

Hometown Heroes, International Leaders, and Artists for the Ages

Joining Phyllis Lyon, the additional 23 honorees are:

Peter Adair (1943 – 1996), film-maker best known for 1977’s Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, offering a clear, detailed picture of the broad spectrum of the LGBTQ population

Gloria Anzaldua (1942 – 2004),a Tejana-Chicana who wrote widely on feminism, queer theory, and marginalization, best known for her ground-breaking books, 1981’s This Bridge Called My Back, and 1987’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza

Gilbert Baker (1951 – 2017), American artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag, worldwide symbol of LGBTQ pride

Tullalah Bankhead (1902 – 1968), openly “ambisextrous” stage and screen actress, gay icon, and pioneering civil rights activist who strongly and publicly opposed racism and segregation

Bernice Bing (1936 – 1998),recognized SF Bay Area painter whose artwork bridged her Chinese American background and her interest in modern philosophy, women’s issues, and abstract expression

Bobbi Campbell (1952 – 1984), early self-identified person with AIDS whose prolific writing helped inform the public, empower early sufferers, and destigmatize the condition

Esther Eng (1914 – 1970), the first woman to direct Chinese-language films in the United States, recognized as a female pioneer who crossed the boundaries of race, language, culture, and gender

Leslie Feinberg (1949 – 2014), radical activist and author whose book, Stone Butch Blues, familiarized readers with transgender, non-binary and genderqueer terms, pronouns, concepts, and politics

Lorraine Hansberry (1930 – 1965), first African American woman to have a play performed on Broadway and the youngest playwright to receive the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award

Magnus Hirschfeld (1868 – 1935), pioneering German physician and sexologist, outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, important theorist of sexuality, and a prominent advocate for sexuality minorities in the early 20th century

Billie Holliday (1915 – 1959), Harlem-based singer and jazz legend who courageously made public a wide range of personal and political truths, notably recording 1939’s anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit,” widely considered one of America’s most influential protest songs

Langston Hughes (1901 – 1967), a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, whose poetry, plays, novels, and columns gave fresh insight into the experience of Black men in the United States

Carlos Jáuregui (1957 – 1996),courageous Argentinian activist who fiercely fought for the rights of the full spectrum of the LGBTQ community

Marsha P. Johnson (1945 – 1992), ​​known as the “Mayor of Christopher Street,” a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founder (with Sylvia Rivera) of the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries

Larry Kramer (1935 – 2020), American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, LGBT rights activist, and a founding member ACT UP, created to publicize and protest the lack of treatment and funding for people with AIDS

Xulhaz Mannan (1976 – 2016), martyred Bangladeshi human rights activist, founder of the country’s first and only gay magazine, and organizer of the Rainbow Rally to celebrate its broader LGBTQ community

Marlon Riggs (1957 – 1994), Award-winning film maker whose examinations of Black gay life boldly confronted racism and sexual repression, most notably with 1989’s Tongues Untied 

Bob Ross (1934 – 2003), co-founder and publisher of the Bay Area Reporter, the oldest continuously published LGBTQ publication in the United States, political figure, and philanthropist

Charley Parkhurst (1812 – 1879), famous California stagecoach driver in the Gold Rush era who was discovered, upon his death, to be biologically female; decades before female suffrage was legal, he voted as a man in the 1868 presidential election

Oliver Sacks (1933 – 2015), neurologist, naturalist, historian of science and author who wrote of his experiences with some of his patients to inform and inspire others

Jon Reed Sims (1947 – 1984), founder of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling Corps (now San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band), the first openly LGBT musical group ever formed in United States history, and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, the country’s first openly gay American choral group

Edith Windsor (1929 – 2017), who faced onerous federal tax penalties after the death of her spouse, Thea Spyer, following their 40-year relationship, and was the lead plaintiff in the 2013 landmark Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor, that established marriage equality rights for American citizens 

Sophie Xeon (1986 – 2021), Grammy-nominated musician, record producer, singer, and DJ who reframed trans self-expression for Millennials and Generation Z cohorts with her brash and “hyperkinetic” take on pop music

With this announcement, the Rainbow Honor Walk Board of Directors now turns its attention to a daunting fundraising effort. Each bronze sidewalk plaque costs nearly  $6000 to fabricate and install. We need your help! Financial support for the public tributes has overwhelmingly come from individual donors, with additional gifts from corporations and allied nonprofits to our 501(c)3 organization. To make a tax deductible donation, please visit http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/.   

For more information:

A full list of the Board of Directors, donors, and honorees can be found online at www.rainbowhonorwalk.org or on Facebook by searching for “Rainbow-Honor-Walk.” For more information, email at info@rainbowhonorwalk.org or by mail to Rainbow Honor Walk, 584 Castro Street, #113 San Francisco, California 94114.

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media contact: David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. / 
(415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

19th Annual International Ocean Film Festival 
April 7 – 10 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater Fort Mason

Virtual Presentations April 11 – 24  

Tickets Go on Sale March 10 for
Largest Festival in the World for Ocean-Related Films 

Full schedule of films announced February 21

15 February 2022 – San Francisco, CA: After two years of battering COVID waves, attendees to this year’s 19^thAnnual International Ocean Film Festival will hear ocean waves as they walk into San Francisco’s Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, April 7 – 10 for the first in-person event since 2019. In addition, virtual presentations will also be offered April 11 – 24. The full schedule of films will be announced on February 20, and tickets to the entire festival go on sale March 10.

“We’re back! To say we’re excited is an understatement,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the Festival. “This year’s festival will not only be an extraordinary homecoming to the Cowell Theatre, but will also highlight some of the lessons we learned from the pandemic.  The silver lining of the last two years has been reaching more and new audiences through our virtual component, which now is a permanent part of the full festival.”

This year’s 19th Annual International Ocean Film Festival is marked with 18 days of ocean-focused, independent films. In addition, the Festival will host  lively Q&A panels with film directors, marine scientists, and industry experts, as they discuss the films and share insights into ocean conservation, preservation, and legislation. 

“Also, one of the Festival’s most important components is the 10^th Annual Student Film Competition,” says Blanco. “It’s a way for students to tell their stories about the ocean and explore the exciting world of filmmaking. We are delighted to have PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) supporting the Student Film Competition.”

The Student Film Competition is open to middle school and high school students (grades 6 through 12) from around the world. Films must be five minutes or less in duration, and touch upon some subject matter regarding the ocean. The deadline for submission is February 28.

According to Blanco, the past two years’ “Virtual Oceans” online Festivals were seen by a record breaking 10,000 people and more than 2500 students took part in the online education series.  During 2020 and 2021, submissions were received from around the world, including films from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malaysia and Germany. For this year’s 19^th Annual International Ocean Film Festival, Blanco is expecting an even great number – and greater diversity – of submissions.

The Festival accepts films of all genres that focus on any of the varied aspects of our big, blue ocean. Subject matter ranges from, but is not limited to, marine wildlife, conservation efforts, ocean environments, coastal cultures, ocean sports and exploration, ocean heroes, and innovative technology designed to help protect the ocean. Films can be documentaries, narratives, shorts, animation, and full-length films from around the world. A number offinalists from the main film festival program will be selected to participate in the world-renowned International Ocean Film Festival Traveling Program. This year’s film categories include Environmental, Marine Sciences/Wildlife, Exploration & Ocean Sports, Coastal Island Culture. Animation,Conservation, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Shorts and Female Directors.

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented over 815 films from 40different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Current sponsors for the upcoming 19th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include, The Consul General of Canada of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Laura Wais Underwater Imaging, NOAA, PG&E, RingCentral, RBC Wealth Management and The SSA Group.

Our generous hotel and hospitality partners are:  The Hotel Griffon, The Hotel Zetta, the J.W. Marriott, the Kimpton Alton Hotel, Le Meridien, the Lodge at the Presidio and the Omni Hotel.

The International Ocean Film Festival encourages its patrons, supporters and partners to follow the most current advice from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization for preventing the further spread of the COVID-19 in Northern California and beyond, and to stay tuned for announcements about International Ocean Film Festival events once the threat level is reduced. The 19th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will take place April 7 – 10 at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture and April 11 – 23 online at www.intloceanfilmfest.org. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.• www.intloceanfilmfest.org• https://www.facebook.com/intloceanfilmfest• Twitter @oceanfilmfest• Instagram @intloceanfilmfest