Author: Alfredo Casuso

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

Acclaimed Palm Springs Theatre Expands Network with Actress and Cultural Leader 

Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil Named to Board for Nonprofit Dezart Performs
www.dezartperforms.org

1 December 2021 – Palm Springs, CA: Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil of Rancho Mirage has been named to the board of directors for the nonprofit Dezart Performs theatre company of Palm Springs (www.dezartperforms.org) continuing its 14^th season – and first post-COVID productions – in January with the Olivier Award winning exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s final day The Mountaintop.

“Nancy has long been one of our biggest supporters, as well as a dear friend,” said Clark Dugger, Board President for Dezart Performs. “Her enthusiasm and love for theatre will be a definite asset to the board and the company.”

“I am truly looking forward to being a part of this wonderful group of people bringing high quality theatre to our valley,” said Bleiweiss-Nevil who moved to the area in 2005.

Bleiweiss-Nevil started her career in her hometown of San Francisco where she was the co-creator and original star of the hit show Beach Blanket Babylon that closed in 2019 after 45 years, making it the longest-running musical revue in United States history. From there, she moved to Los Angeles and was a cast member of the remake of the TV show Laugh In. She also had the honor of performing with the San Francisco Opera in The Merry Widow with Dame Joan Sutherland. From theatre and opera she moved onto the travel business where she ran a successful agency for 20 years. When she moved to the Coachella Valley, she looked for ways to get involved with creative outlets in her new community. She became a board member of Coyote Stage Works and also The Muses of the McCallum Theatre. Her true passion is bringing back arts into the schools. She and two other like-minded ladies started a support group for the existing charity, Tools for Tomorrow and formed a fundraising arm called The Visionaries of Tools for Tomorrow. She served on the board for several years and participated in its growth and success. She and her late husband Charles (also a former actor) got involved with several of the theatre companies in the valley and tried to support as many as possible.

“Charles and I always had a special place in our hearts for Dezart Performs and have supported them for years,” said Bleiweiss-Nevil. “We always loved their passion and love for what they do, as well as the caliber of the plays they chose to produce.”

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

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

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SAN FRANCISCO CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF STREET CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM

Street Crisis Response Team has responded to over 5,000 calls related to people suffering from mental health and substance use issues on City streets

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), and the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) today marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT). SCRT has grown from a single team supporting the Tenderloin neighborhood to six teams providing San Francisco with 24/7 citywide coverage in one year. SCRT responds rapidly to people who are having a crisis on City streets with a behavioral health approach that deescalates situations and addresses a person’s immediate needs for care, treatment, and shelter. 

Data from the year show that SCRT has taken more than 5,000 calls and engaged with nearly 3,000 people in crisis. In early 2022, a seventh team with six additional staff will launch.

“The Street Crisis Response Team has proven that we can respond to calls of people in crisis with compassion and clinical skills without having to rely on emergency rooms, ambulances, and law enforcement,” said Mayor Breed. “Getting to the point when we can respond to everyone in need without continuing the cycle that keeps them in and out of our emergency rooms or our jails is going to take time. This anniversary is an important step forward and proves to cities and counties across the country seeking to replicate our model that it works.”

Demonstrating the program’s success as an alternative to law enforcement, SCRT diverted more than one-third of all 911 calls (38%) for “mentally disturbed persons” from law enforcement cumulatively during its first year of operation. With six teams launched, SCRT is now diverting over half (58%) of calls monthly for “mentally disturbed persons” from law enforcement. Once fully operational, SCRT seeks to divert 100% of calls.

“San Francisco is responding urgently with new approaches to transform how we deliver care to those hardest to reach and most in need,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health. “Rather than wait for people to come to us, we are finding new, innovative ways of removing barriers to care by taking services directly to people in need. The Street Crisis Response Team shows that this approach works, and will build on our learnings from this first year of operation to further increase access to services and connect even more people in crisis to the resources they need.”

“The San Francisco Fire Department and our Community Paramedicine Division are incredibly proud of what SCRT has accomplished in its first year of operation,” said Chief Jeanine Nicholson of the San Francisco Fire Department. “Community Paramedicine is an emerging field in health care where paramedics operate in expanded roles to connect underserved populations to care. SCRT, like other community paramedicine programs of the San Francisco Fire Department, increase our ability to promote health and social equity among those with unmet medical, mental health, and social needs.”

Each SCRT team is staffed with a community paramedic from SFFD, a behavioral health clinician from HealthRIGHT360, and a peer specialist with lived experience from RAMS, Inc. (Richmond Area Multi-Services) who together have the range of specialty skills to engage on scene with a person in crisis. As of April 2021, SCRT is supported by a dedicated follow-up team that provides coordinated care linkages, often within 24-hours of the initial encounter. Since April, nearly a third (31%) of all people who interact with SCRT are successfully re-engaged with follow-up care such as being connected to a provider or treatment program.

SCRT is an important component of the City’s Mental Health SF initiative for improving the mental healthcare for people experiencing homelessness. Most people who SCRT serves (76%) are currently experiencing homelessness, a condition that puts them at significantly higher risk for negative health outcomes and creates challenges in accessing services and long-term mental health and medical care. SCRT’s street-based response offers a different approach from the traditional facility-based care by delivering support directly to communities.

If you see someone in a crisis, please call 911 and describe what you are seeing to the trained operators with the San Francisco Department of Emergency Services (DEM).  

More information about SCRT can be found at: sf.gov/street-crisis-response-team

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 

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

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MAYOR BREED LAUNCHES ANNUAL “SHOP AND DINE IN THE 49” CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES   

This year, Shop and Dine in the 49 campaign includes a holiday trolley tour with stops throughout commercial corridors to promote foot traffic and shopping 

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) today launched the eighth year of the “Shop and Dine in the 49” campaign, promoting shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of San Francisco this holiday season. As the City emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and continues its economic recovery, the campaign aims to encourage residents to support small businesses.   

“San Francisco’s diverse small business community is what makes our City the special place we all know and love,” said Mayor Breed. “As we continue on our economic recovery this holiday season, it is more important now than ever before to shop local and support your favorite entrepreneurs and family-owned stores.” 

This year, the Shop and Dine in the 49 campaign promotes shopping at small businesses and neighborhood corridors throughout San Francisco. Beginning on Wednesday, December 1, in partnership with neighborhood merchant associations, a trolley car with Shop and Dine in the 49 decor will bring holiday festivities to different neighborhood shopping districts throughout the City over three weekends. OEWD’s City Hall Holiday Pop-Up will also return on December 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., featuring over 35 local artists and makers in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission.  

A schedule of the trolley tour, as well as a calendar of holiday-related events, activities, and promotions planned by local businesses and neighborhood shopping districts, can be found at www.shopdine49.com. 

“The Holidays are a critical season for small retailers, restaurants, local manufacturers and artists, and the people they employ,” said Kate Sofis, Director, Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “As San Franciscans begin their holiday shopping this season, we’re encouraging residents and visitors alike to shop local by visiting our neighborhood corridors or by ordering online from local retailers. Our diverse merchants are the bedrock of our communities and our economy. By directing our spending locally, we will ensure this Holiday Season will be an important milestone for our City’s economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.” 

To support the promotion of the Shop and Dine in the 49 campaign, San Francisco introduced legislation sponsored by Supervisor Stefani to waive permit fees for businesses seeking to conduct sidewalk retail sales between December 4^th and 5^th and December 11^th and 12^th, two of the busiest shopping weekends during the holidays. 

“Small businesses are an essential part of what makes San Francisco such a vibrant and desirable place to live, work and visit,” said District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani. “As we emerge from the pandemic, we must do everything we can to support our local, small businesses to ensure they fully recover. I urge every single San Franciscan to join me and Shop and Dine in the 49 this holiday season.” 

Additionally, the Shop and Dine in the 49 campaign will partner with BART to promote local businesses accessible by public transit. BARTable, a website dedicated to promoting BART-accessible activities, will feature information on independently-owned businesses within a six-block radius of a BART station and provide promotional offers to riders. 

“It’s important for us to uplift local businesses, especially during this challenging time.” said Rodney Fong, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “Local businesses make our merchant corridors the unique and vibrant streets that we all love so much and keep our economy healthy. That’s why The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is proud to support Shop & Dine in the 49.” 

San Francisco is home to more than 90,000 small businesses that create thousands of jobs that employ local residents. Currently, San Francisco residents spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually at out-of-town and online retailers. This number increased during COVID-19 when nationally, online retail sales increased from 11% to 14% of all retail according to the U.S Department of Commerce. Despite loosening restrictions, online sales for the third quarter of 2021 remain 13% of all sales nationally, with projections that this trend is more pronounced in California and San Francisco due to the frequency of online shopping in California as compared with other states. 
  

“I believe that our economy in San Francisco is well on its way to recovery and the Shop and Dine in the 49 Campaign will help bring holiday shoppers into our businesses,” said Maryo Mogannam, President of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Association. “Directing consumer dollars to small businesses is critical to local jobs and our economic recovery.  Shifting even one percent of our spending from online retailers to local retailers would generate millions of dollars for the San Francisco economy.”  

“When my partner and I started EI Home, we wanted to bring beautiful items to our customers,” said Eric Wang, owner of EI Home. “What we did not expect is that we would become a part of the community. When you shop local you are not only supporting a small business, its owner and staff, you are supporting the community. We enjoy working with our customers in a space that invites them to touch and explore the works of artists and local makers.” 

Shop and Dine in the 49 is a public-private partnership developed by the Mayor’s Office with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Office of Small Business in partnership with local merchant associations, neighborhood community benefits districts, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Arts Commission. This year’s campaign is sponsored in part by Mastercard. 

“Supporting neighborhood businesses is essential to the vitality and growth of city economies,” said Miguel Gamino, Executive Vice President of Global Cities, Mastercard. “Despite the challenges of the past couple of years, there has been a resurgence of entrepreneurship and innovation, and Mastercard is dedicated to helping small local businesses adapt, digitize and thrive. We’re pleased to be supporting the Mayor’s Office on this important initiative.” 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, San Francisco has provided immediate and ongoing support for small businesses, including making available more than $63 million in grants and loans to support more than 3,000 small businesses, in addition to tens of millions of dollars in fee and tax deferrals, and assistance applying for state and federal funding. This includes legislation introduced and signed by Mayor Breed to waive $5 million in fees and taxes for entertainment and nightlife venues and small restaurants. 

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Hotel Council of San Francisco on Recent Crime

“The time for half measures is long past in light of this past weekend’s smash and grab crimes around Union Square.

Our hospitality workers are fearful for their safety and want to see improvements. Our hotel visitors expect and deserve a San Francisco that is safe and secure. We need immediate and concrete action to reverse the current reality on our streets.

Hotels are a vital part of San Francisco’s number one industry, tourism, and measures must be taken to stop crime and hold criminals responsible, especially repeat offenders.”

— Kevin Carroll, President & CEO Hotel Council of San Francisco