James “Gypsy” Haake: A Lifetime in Drag, A Legacy in Motion

Happy 94th Birthday James “Gypsy” Haake, a Palm Springs legend and the World’s Oldest Working Drag Queen!

In an industry where reinvention is often the key to survival, few performers embody endurance quite like James “Gypsy” Haake. Born on February 14, 1932, Haake’s remarkable journey across the stages of Broadway, cabaret, film, and drag performance spans more than seven decades — a living testament to the resilience and artistry that have shaped American queer performance culture.

Haake’s career began in 1951 as a Broadway chorus boy, a launching point that would set the tone for a lifetime of theatrical expression. From the beginning, he possessed a rare ability to adapt to changing audiences and evolving forms of entertainment. That adaptability would become his signature, allowing him to remain relevant through shifting eras of nightlife, from mid-century cabaret glamour to modern pop-culture collaborations.

Perhaps most famously, Gypsy became a beloved master of ceremonies for La Cage Aux Folles, guiding audiences through evenings of laughter, spectacle, and unapologetic celebration. He was also a fixture of cabaret nightlife, performing in — and at times operating — the legendary venue “Gypsy’s,” a space that became synonymous with community, performance, and queer visibility long before such visibility was widely embraced.

Beyond the stage, Haake’s presence extended into film and television, with appearances in productions such as To Be or Not To Be and The Morning After. Yet even as screens changed and audiences evolved, Gypsy’s greatest strength remained his live connection with viewers — a performer who thrived on intimacy, humor, and the electricity of shared experience.

What sets Haake apart most, however, is longevity. At an age when many performers have long since retired, he continued to work, collaborate, and inspire new generations. His appearance in Miley Cyrus’s “Younger Now” era — both in video and live performance — introduced him to younger audiences and affirmed his role as a cultural bridge between past and present.

In 2023, at age 91, James “Gypsy” Haake was honored as a Palm Springs Pride Parade Grand Marshal, a fitting recognition of a life lived boldly in the spotlight. The honor was not simply a celebration of years served, but of a legacy shaped by persistence, humor, and a deep commitment to the art of drag as both performance and cultural expression.

Today, Gypsy stands as a reminder that drag is more than glitter and gowns — it is history, survival, and storytelling. His journey from Broadway chorus lines to Pride parades reflects the arc of LGBTQ+ visibility itself: hard-won, joyful, and defiantly alive.

In honoring Gypsy, we celebrate not only a performer but a living archive of queer entertainment history — a performer who never stopped stepping onto the stage, no matter the decade.

Subject Signals in Clay: The Broadcast Age Lives On at 420 Taylor

Tucked just off Market Street, on a stretch of San Francisco that has quietly witnessed the rise and reinvention of media for nearly a century, a towering ceramic mural still speaks in the language of early television. Mounted high on the façade of the former KRON-TV studios at 420 Taylor Street, it is easy to miss at street level — and yet impossible to ignore once you truly look up.

The mural, often referred to as The World of Communications, is a vivid artifact of mid-century optimism. Created when television was still a daring experiment rather than an everyday companion, it captures a moment when San Francisco stood at the forefront of broadcast innovation. For decades, this building housed the studios of KRON-TV, an NBC affiliate whose cameras helped define Bay Area culture, politics, and entertainment. The mural became its silent ambassador — a public declaration that a new age of storytelling had arrived.

Rendered in glazed ceramic tile, the work glows even under gray skies, its colors resilient against time and weather. The style blends the civic ambition of WPA-era murals with the streamlined modernism of the 1950s. Figures populate the composition from top to bottom: performers, technicians, and symbolic characters representing music, news, drama, and the arts. They gather around a central vertical current — a ribbon of color rising like a broadcast signal — suggesting that ideas, images, and voices travel upward into the invisible airwaves.

At the base, the imagery leans into the mechanics of television itself: stylized cameras, studio lights, and geometric forms hint at the machinery behind the magic. Above them, dancers, musicians, and storytellers seem to emerge from that technological foundation, a reminder that while equipment may evolve, creativity remains the driving force of communication.

Standing beneath the mural today, one feels the echo of a transitional era. This was a time when San Francisco was not merely consuming culture but inventing new ways to share it — when cinema palaces still dominated Market Street, radio was reinventing itself, and television promised to bring the world into the living room. The mural’s message feels especially resonant now, as media once again reshapes itself in the digital age.

What fascinates me most is how the piece bridges generations of storytelling. It belongs to the same civic impulse that gave us Coit Tower’s murals, the grand theatrical façades of Market Street, and the vibrant public art that still defines our city. Yet it also points forward, toward an era when performance, journalism, and technology would merge into something entirely new.

The former KRON building may have changed hands and purpose over the years, but the mural remains — a vertical chronicle in tile and color, quietly reminding passersby that San Francisco has long been a place where signals begin, stories travel, and culture finds new forms.

Look up the next time you pass 420 Taylor. You may just hear the hum of an earlier broadcast age, still radiating from the wall.

BofA Presentation on 2026 Economic Trends

Wealth Transfer

• Baby Boomers now own $85 trillion or more than half of U.S. household net worth. Some $105 trillion is expected to be inherited by members of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z through 2048 in the U.S.*

• Supported by appreciating Equities and home prices, boomer spending was a key driver of U.S. consumer resilience in 2025, a theme that we see continuing in 2026.

• The transfer of assets to the next generation of investors and consumers should mean greater demand for traditional stocks and bonds and alternative investments for qualified investors.

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• Data center power demand could more than double within five years, concentrated in PJM* states (PA, NJ, MD, and more)—testing grid capacity and planning.

• In the U.S., data centers consume around 5% of electricity but may account for 35% of incremental demand through 2035.²

• The race to build AI infrastructure faces critical constraints: securing grid connections, not just generating power. Transmission delays and interconnection queues can stall projects.

SF Chamber City Beat Media Advisory 

Media Contact:

David Perry
Board of Directors / Executive Committee: 
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

news@acasusodavidperry-com
(415) 676-7007

MEDIA ADVISORY

San Francisco Chamber of Commerce to Release New Poll Data on San Francisco’s Economic Outlook, Voter Sentiment, and Overall Recovery at the annual CityBeat Breakfast

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce will release the results of its 38th Annual CityBeat Poll at the 2026 CityBeat Breakfast: Next is Now, the Chamber’s annual briefing on San Francisco’s economic outlook, business climate, and civic priorities.

CityBeat 2026 focuses on how San Francisco is positioning itself for the next phase of growth. The CityBeat Poll, conducted by EMC research and presented by United Airlines, provides new data on voter sentiment. This year’s program will  feature remarks from Mayor Daniel Lurie,  San Francisco Chamber of Commerce CEO Rodney Fong, and Ghazi, the Founder and CEO of EMPIRE. 

CityBeat Breakfast Speakers Include:

• Mayor Daniel Lurie, 46th Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco
• Rodney Fong, President and CEO, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
• Baie Netzer,  Managing Director and Economist, Bank of America Private Bank
• Ghazi, Founder and CEO, EMPIRE

San Francisco Chamber of Commerce CityBeat Breakfast: Next is Now

Event DetailsWednesday, February 11, 2026

8:00 AM to 9:30 AM Registration & Check-In / Reception w/ VIP Lounge

9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Program
Pier 27, San Francisco

Notes for Interested Media

Media is invited to attend and film CityBeat live. A designated media area will be available with space for cameras, risers, and power. Audio mult-box access will be provided. Speakers will be available for interviews before and after the program. Interested media should rsvp to  news@davidperry.com or call/text (415) 676-7007

ALL MEDIA MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE. PRESS MUST PRESENT AN SFPD OR OTHER OFFICIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESS PASS.