Author: Alfredo Casuso

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

Skechers Named Official Footwear Partner of Bay to Breakers Powered by Windsurf 2025

Footwear Leader Joins as New Sponsor for San Francisco’s Most Iconic Footrace On Sunday, May 18

7  May 2025, San Francisco, CA: Step by step, a new partnership is lacing up to energize San Francisco’s most legendary race: Bay to Breakers Powered by Windsurf is proud to welcome Skechers as the Official Footwear Partner of the 2025 race. The iconic San Francisco event, set for Sunday, May 18, continues its tradition of partnering with innovative and community-led brands to enhance the runner experience at every level.  

Known as the Comfort Technology Company™, Skechers will bring their dynamic energy, signature Comfort that Performs, and innovation to this year’s event by introducing the new Skechers AERO series of technical running shoes to race attendees and participants. Representing the latest evolution of technical running shoes from the brand, Skechers AERO is engineered to deliver an exhilarating blend of speed, style, and comfort to help runners push beyond their personal bests—the Bay to Breakers Powered by Windsurf race will be the first event where Skechers activates to showcase Skechers AERO, which launched on May 1. 

Race participants and spectators can also look forward to Skechers branded on-course activations and memorable moments at the Finish Line Festival designed to celebrate runners and further enhance the bold and inclusive energy that has defined the iconic race since 1912. Skechers will also award the top three finishers in each category of the Hayes Hill Challenge with a new pair of Skechers AERO running shoes. 

“Skechers’ involvement adds a whole new dimension to this year’s Bay to Breakers,” said Phyllis Blanchard of Motiv Sports/Bay to Breakers Powered by Windsurf. “We’re excited about the energy they’ll bring, and the opportunity to showcase footwear that keeps pace with the most delightfully unpredictable race in America.”

Bay to Breakers is a San Francisco original, known for its spirited race that has been a staple of the city since 1912. It brings together athletes, families, community members, and costume-clad participants for a 12K race from the San Francisco Bay to the breakers on the Pacific Coast. Bay to Breakers is a celebration of life, laughter, and the personality of San Francisco, embodying the city’s inclusive spirit and community engagement. During the annual Bay to Breakers Race, participants of all ages and abilities, and oftentimes in costume, line up on Howard Street a few blocks from The Embarcadero on the third Sunday in May – in 2025, May 18. The course travels west through the City and finishes at the Great Highway, where the breakers crash into Ocean Beach. It truly is a time-honored tradition and the quintessential San Francisco experience.

To learn more about Bay to Breakers or sign up for the fun, visit www.baytobreakers.com. For sponsorship or Corporate Teams information, email Alex Jee at ajee@motivsports.com.

About SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc. 
Skechers (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company^® based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through skechers.com and more than 5,300 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500^® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

LGBT Supportive Cardinals

The Vatican does not publish or track official stances by cardinals on LGBTQ+ issues, and many cardinals tend to express views aligned with official Catholic doctrine, which teaches that while LGBTQ+ individuals should be treated with dignity and respect, same-sex relationships and non-cisgender identities are not affirmed.

However, some cardinals have shown more pastoral openness or have expressed views that may be seen as more compassionate or inclusive toward LGBTQ+ Catholics. These include:

1. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (Luxembourg) – As the Relator General of the Synod on Synodality, he has publicly called for a revision of the Church’s stance on homosexuality, saying it is no longer scientifically or sociologically correct to consider homosexuality a sin.

2. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (Italy) – President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference and known for his work in peacebuilding and social justice. He has supported outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and is often compared to Pope Francis in tone and pastoral approach.

3. Cardinal Blase Cupich (USA) – Archbishop of Chicago and viewed as one of the more progressive voices in the U.S. episcopate. He has supported LGBTQ+ ministries and was an early advocate for civil discourse on the topic within the Church.

4. Cardinal Joseph Tobin (USA) – Archbishop of Newark, he welcomed an LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to his cathedral and has called for more compassionate outreach and understanding of gay Catholics.

5. Cardinal Wilton Gregory (USA) – The first African-American cardinal, Gregory has voiced strong support for respect and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the Church, while maintaining the official teachings.

6. Cardinal Reinhard Marx (Germany) – He has called for a reconsideration of Church teaching on sexuality and supported blessings for same-sex couples, a highly controversial stance within the Vatican.

May 6: A Day of Honor, History, and Fictional Echoes

On this day in 1527, during the brutal Sack of Rome, 147 members of the Swiss Guard gave their lives defending Pope Clement VII. The last stand at St. Peter’s Basilica remains one of the most stirring moments of loyalty and sacrifice in Vatican history. To this day, May 6 is when new Swiss Guards are sworn in, honoring those who fell in defense of the papacy nearly 500 years ago.

Pope Clement VII, a Medici by birth and a pope by destiny, was a man caught in a time of shifting alliances and perilous politics. His story—and that of the young guards who protected him—has inspired centuries of reverence and reflection.

It also inspired award-winning author David Eugene Perry in his acclaimed novel Upon This Rock. In this modern-day Vatican thriller, the memory of Clement VII and the valor of the Swiss Guard are more than footnotes—they’re integral to a gripping mystery that weaves past and present. One of the central characters, a young Swiss Guard named Gio, stands as both a protector of truth and a bridge to the complex legacy of Vatican history.

And history is catching up with fiction.

Tomorrow, on May 7, 2025, the world will watch as a new conclave gathers to choose the successor to Pope Francis, who also makes a memorable and moving appearance in Upon This Rock. In a scene that feels all the more poignant this week, Francis personally blesses the novel’s protagonists—two gay detectives from San Francisco—with the words: “Who am I to judge?”

As the Vatican prepares to write a new chapter, Upon This Rock reminds us that the past is always present. It lives in the oaths taken, the sacrifices remembered, and the stories that make us ask what it means to serve, to love, and to lead.

Discover the book here: https://a.co/d/fFfaj25

Why Upon This Rock Is the Perfect Read for the Upcoming Papal Conclave

As the world turns its gaze once again toward the Vatican and the upcoming papal conclave, readers seeking intrigue, history, and a touch of divine mystery will find no better companion than David Eugene Perry’s award-winning mystery thriller, Upon This Rock.

Lauded as “an elegant, twisty thriller” by Armistead Maupin and winner of both the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Award and the San Francisco Book Festival, Upon This Rock is more than just a suspenseful page-turner. It’s a rich tapestry woven from the threads of Vatican secrets, centuries-old conspiracies, and modern-day reckonings—starring not one, not two, but three popes, including the historical Clement VII and a fictional encounter with Pope Francis himself.

Set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of an Italian hilltown, the novel follows Adriano and Lee, a pair of gay sleuths from San Francisco described by Bay Area Reporter’s Will Snyder as “as sharp as Sam Spade and with the wit of Nick and Nora Charles.” As they unravel a mystery involving art theft, religious relics, and international corruption, the duo finds themselves not only navigating mortal danger but also moral complexity—including a moving scene where they meet Pope Francis, who welcomes them with compassion and the now-famous words: “Who am I to judge?”

This contemporary papal endorsement of love and acceptance grounds the novel in the real spiritual evolution of the Catholic Church, making Upon This Rock especially resonant as cardinals gather to choose the next pontiff. The specter of Clement VII—the pope who famously bungled the political machinations of the Reformation—haunts the narrative, reminding readers that the history of the papacy is as riddled with intrigue, ambition, and missteps as any political throne on Earth.

Packed with “assassins, terrorists, shady priests, human trafficking, and megawatt conspiracies” (Palm Springs Life), Perry’s novel is not only thrilling but timely. In an era where the Church continues to confront its past while shaping its future, Upon This Rockoffers a fictional lens through which to explore very real questions of faith, power, and justice.

Already in screenplay development and now in its second printing, Upon This Rock is poised to become a major cinematic event. But don’t wait for the film—now is the time to read the book that readers and critics alike are calling “fabulous” (Jan Wahl, Emmy Award–winning Hollywood Reporter).

As the world watches the smoke rise above the Sistine Chapel, curl up with a story that blends the eternal and the contemporary in the most compelling of ways.

Get your copy today—instant ebook for Kindle on Amazon or at davideugeneperry.com and discover why Upon This Rock is the must-read thriller of this papal season.

Media contact: 

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

California Casualty Indemnity Exchange Earns Financial Stability Rating® of A, Exceptional, From Demotech, Inc.

California Casualty reaffirms its commitment to provide financial protection for those that serve our communities in seven western states, as they have for over 100 years 

28 April 2025 – San Mateo, California:  California Casualty, the endorsed auto and home insurance partner to education, higher education, public safety, and healthcare member/employee groups across seven western states, today announces that its lead insurer, California Casualty Indemnity Exchange, has earned a Financial Stability Rating® (FSR) of A, Exceptional, from Demotech, Inc. This FSR reflects the strength of California Casualty’s commitment to be there for customers in their time of need, both now and into the future.

California Casualty serves customers in seven western states, including California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, and Wyoming. With almost 80% of their business in their home state of California, California Casualty has remained committed to serving customers during an extremely difficult period for the California property insurance market. They have weathered the winter storms of 2023 and early 2024 and the Southern California fires this January and remain committed to serving those who serve our communities (educators, peace officers, firefighters, and healthcare workers), providing them with the high-quality financial protection that they deserve.

Mark Pitchford, Chief Operating Officer at California Casualty, shared: “We are pleased that the team at Demotech has recognized the hard work we have done over the past few years to focus on serving customers and affinity groups in our core states as we right-sized the company to ensure that we have the financial strength to continue serving them well into the future.”

About California Casualty
California Casualty Auto and Home Insurance is designed for community heroes and their families. In business since 1914, California Casualty is the endorsed auto and home insurance partner to education, higher education, public safety, and healthcare member/employee groups across seven western states. Since its founding, California Casualty has been led by four generations of Brown family members. Their dedication to California Casualty’s excellence is woven through the entire fabric of our organization. We know what it takes to deliver the value and peace of mind you deserve. Learn more at www.CalCas.com.

About Demotech, Inc.
Established in 1985, Demotech, Inc. is a financial analysis firm located in Columbus, Ohio. Demotech has served the insurance industry by providing objective and independent Financial Stability Ratings® (FSRs) for Property & Casualty insurance companies, Life & Health insurance companies, and Title underwriters, among others. As the first company to have its rating process formally reviewed and accepted by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and HUD, Demotech has been leveling the playing field by offering FSRs to insurers of all sizes. As of July 11, 2022, Demotech is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) in the class of ratings for insurance companies. Visit www.demotech.com for additional information.

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