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

So Called “Healthy Buildings” Ordinance Would Cost Hotel & Commercial Building Owners Millions to Implement.

Will Keep 10,000 Hotel Workers from Returning to Work.

SF Supervisors Slated to Impose Redundant Standards on Industry Already Reeling Under COVID Economic Downturn.

Ordinance Would Exempt Government Buildings Including SF City Hall

6 July 2020 — San Francisco, CA: In the midst of the unprecedented health and economic crisis when politicians should be listening more than talking, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to vote into law a redundant and dangerous piece of legislation that will cost hotels and commercial buildings tens of millions of dollars while at the same time exempting those same buildings in which they pass such legislation. The so-called “Healthy Buildings” ordinance is slated to be voted on by the full San Francisco Board of Supervisors tomorrow, July 7, during their regular session. Pushed by organized labor, the ordinance mandates additional hiring during a time when all such employees are already out of work due to the COVID-forced economic downturn. At present, hotels in San Francisco will not reopen to tourism until mid-August and many office buildings in downtown San Francisco are at less than 10% occupancy. “The ordinance imposes significant financial burdens to implement, puts our employees at greater health risks by demanding they enter rooms more frequently and further delays hotels’ ability to reopen for tourism,” said Kevin Carroll, President and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco. “No industry is more capable of implementing health, hygiene and safety protocols than the hospitality industry.” 

California’s Employment Development Department reported July 1 that 10,484 San Francisco hotel workers were laid off or furloughed from 54 hotels. San Francisco has delayed reopening of hotels until mid-August at the earliest. Complying with the proposed ordinance will increase costs for hotels delaying further their re-openings, already an uncertainty as guests are slow to resume travel.The so-called “Healthy Buildings” ordinance was written by and pushed by members of San Francisco’s Union Local # 2 and would mandate additional cleaning of rooms and public spaces in hotels even though new COVID-19 protocols from the Hotel Council of San Francisco, working in concert with multiple health and safety experts, already exceed CDC guidelines. “The well-being of our employees is paramount for the well-being of our guests,’’ Carroll added. “The guidelines our hotels have implemented follow the recommendations from national and state infectious disease experts to ensure our employees safety.”Additionally, the proposed ordinance will adversely impact office buildings. “The ordinance is plainly redundant when we have guidance from agencies such as Cal/OSHA and the California Department of Public Health covering the same topics,” said Marc Intermaggio, Executive Vice President for the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA). “Having multiple authorities issuing guidance and standards is confusing and accomplishes little.  The other agencies are the ones tasked by law with issuing this type of guidance and they have done so and the City should be aligned with these health authorities.”

If put into law, the ordinance would add hundreds of thousands of dollars – per month – to business owners in downtown San Francisco. The cost on an annual basis would be in the tens of millions of dollars, all at a time when due to COVID roughly 90% of all commercial buildings are now empty. According to BOMA, the increased costs would likely force further layoffs as the reduced occupancy of  buildings continues across 2020 and into 2021.

“This is not the year and now is not the time for un-needed and redundant legislation that will keep our hotel community and tourism based economy from recovering,” said Rodney Fong, President & CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce . “We urge the Board of Supervisors re-think this misguided ordinance.”

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Media Contact:                                                   For Immediate Release

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

SF HOTELS CALL OUT CLEANING PROPOSAL AS UNSCIENTIFIC, COSTLY

SF Board Panel Measures Contradict CDC Guidelines, Risk Closures 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.  – (June 29, 2020) – Hundreds of members of San Francisco’s hotel community assailed the costly, unscientific, environmentally harmful and job-killing proposed “Healthy Business” ordinance at Monday’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting.

Members of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, California Hotel and Lodging Association, American Hotel and Lodging Association, environmentalists and the San Francisco business community expressed frustration at the proposal’s lack of scientific support and, if approved, the economic harm it will impose on hotels already expected to be closed for several months. 

San Francisco hotel managers called out the proposed ordinance’s lack of alignment with public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and San Francisco’s County Public Health Department. They also assailed the ordinance’s impacts that:

• Would risk permanent closures of San Francisco hotels
• Target only one industry during a global pandemic
• Ignore all constituents to serve the wishes of one union
• Create unnecessary environment waste and costs
• Once again, failed to engage with hotel managers on an issue relevant to their businesses

“This ordinance does little to serve the public good, harms the No. 1 industry in San Francisco and further delays the return of more than 25,000 San Francisco hotel employees to work,’’ said Kevin Carroll, President and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco.

The Land Use and Transportation Committee approved the proposal with minor amendments and forwarded it to the full Board of Supervisors for its July 7 meeting.

Supervisor Peskin                                                             June 29, 2020

Supervisor Safai

Supervisor Walton 

City Hall

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place Room 244

San Francisco, Ca. 94102-4689

Dear Supervisors 

On behalf of the more than 200 hotels in San Francisco and 6,000 statewide, we, respectfully, fail to understand the need for the proposed Cleaning and Disease Prevention Standards in Tourist Hotels and Large Commercial Office Buildings. 

San Francisco hotels have worked closely with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. Newsom, the California Department of Public Health and your own county’s public health officer to develop the Hotel Council’s Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines that exceed, short of hospitals, the standards of any other industry. On April 30 – almost two months ago – the California Hotel and Lodging Association issued its 10-page Clean + Safe certification guide with customized plans for employee trainings, appropriate signage, regulatory forms and updates. In May, the American Hotel and Lodging Association released its comprehensive Stay Safe program aligning with CDC recommendations and AHLA’s authoritative Advisory Council. 

We adhered strictly to the governor’s guidelines on June 12, when 51 of 58 California counties reopened for tourism. San Francisco, painfully, has not reopened nor does it have immediate plans to do so. We also partnered with Gov. Newsom’s Office of Emergency Service to supply personal protective equipment to San Francisco hotels and those throughout the state. 

We employ tens of thousands of people directly and support hundreds of thousands of other businesses. Because of the San Francisco’s shelter-in-place mandate – now the longest in the state – our hotels and small businesses have had to lay off thousands of workers. This legislation will stop hotels from reopening and keep these hard-working employees unemployed. 

Your so-called Healthy Buildings Ordinance has nothing to do with health or business. It’s a sell-out to politically connected union leadership. The ordinance is not based on CDC recommendations, but on the self-interests of the largest hotel union in the country. It puts labor protections ahead of proven health protections. There is nothing progressive about it. 

The ordinance, drafted by the labor union, is designed to add new positions at every hotel while also supporting the hotel union bosses to legislate the end of incentive programs that allow guests to opt-out of daily cleaning. This is unsafe and harms the environment. The legislation, selfishly, exempts all City, State and Federal buildings. Why are these standards targeting specific industries and not the public buildings where the legislation is being heard? 

San Francisco’s hotel community has been in the forefront of stepping up to respond to the pandemic, housing first responders and our most vulnerable populations. No industry was safer, cleaner or more committed to the health and welfare of visitors and employees. 

Once again, the Board of Supervisors is out-of-touch with the reality hotels and our employees face. Once again, the hotels were not invited to participate in the legislation. And, once again, San Francisco’s over-regulation puts hotels closure to the brink of not surviving. 

This ordinance does little to serve the public good, harms the No. 1 industry in San Francisco, pollutes the environment and further delays the return of more than 25,000 San Francisco hotel employees to work. Please stop this ordinance now and let science, not politics, guide our public health decisions.  

Kevin Carroll

President & CEO

Hotel Council of San Francisco

Lynn S. Mohrfeld

President & CEO

California Hotel and Lodging Association

Chip Rodgers

President & CEO

American Hotel and Lodging Association

Cc:  Board of Supervisors, Mayor London Breed 

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

“Manny’s LIVE” Debuts Tuesday, June 16 at 6pm
with SFPD Chief Bill Scott & District Attorney Chesa Boudin

New Interactive Series Airs Every Tuesday & Thursday
bringing together civic and political leaders
Episodes will air on the Manny’s Facebook and YouTube Pages

Manny’s Restarts Onsite Service with Curbside Dining June 16.
Manny’s Marketplace begins June 20 & Manny’s Musical Sundays starts June 21

www.welcometomannys.com

15 June 2020 – San Francisco, CA:  After three COVID-19 enforced months of virtual program, Manny’s at 3092 16^th  Street at Valencia (www.welcometomannys.com) returns to live, in-person service this week with outdoor curbside dining and three new initiatives: Manny’s LIVE, Manny’s Marketplace and Manny’s Musical Sundays. 

Manny’s LIVE, modeled after an in-studio television show, will bring together political and thought leaders for provocative discussions including audience participation. The program will run every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm, and debut Tuesday, June 16 with a discussion between San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott and District Attorney Chesa Boudin about the path forward on police reform. 

Manny’s Marketplace, beginning June 20, will run every Saturday from 12pm – 5pm and will involve the transformation of the space into a marketplace where will be able to shop fora variety of goods ranging from arts and crafts, clothing and accessories, plants and books, and other products created by local Bay Area merchants. 

Manny’s Musical Sundays will be broadcast from every Sunday at 5pm starting June 21 on Instagram and Facebook Live with 100% of proceeds going to participating local musical artists.

“Manny’s was created to be a space for political discourse, activism and advocacy for social justice,” says Manny Yekutiel, 30, who founded and runs the eponymous community engagement space and café dubbed “the New Hampshire of California” (KCBS Radio) for its hosting of myriad political events including hosting 17 Democratic presidential candidates. “For three months, we’ve been in the understandable COVID cocoon.  Now, we’re ready to fly again and welcome people back to our space at 16^th and Valencia.”

Manny’s LIVE will bring together civic and political leaders from all over the country and engage with them on the tough questions of the moment. Episodes will air on the Manny’s Facebook and YouTube Pages. After each live show there will be a post-show event called “The Break Room” where a set of professional activist facilitators will lead small group discussions in zoom breakout rooms with viewers to take what they just heard and turn it into action.  

“The purpose of Manny’s LIVE will be to continue our work to civically engage the community and to humanize politics,” says Yekutiel. “The series will focus on current events and issues, winning the 2020 presidential election, flipping the Senate, and rebuilding the country after November.”

As a reaction and aide to retail spaces that have been shuttered all over the Bay Area and artists suddenly with no paying gigs or audience, leaving both groups n a limb of economic uncertainty, Yekutiel has developed the Manny’s Marketplace and Manny’s Musical Sundays concepts.

“We will be supporting local and diverse vendors to sell out of our beautiful space. No fee for them, just respect and community. Also, music is vital to the Manny’s experience. Manny’s Musical Sundays is how we are lending a hand to musicians who have been affected by the cancellation of events and the closure of venues following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a community space in the Mission, Manny’s would like to provide a physical space for local artists to showcase their talents and an opportunity to resume their work.”

Musicians interested in participating and showcasing their musical talent as part of Manny’s Musical Sundays should email jupiter@welcometomannys.com.

Also beginning this week, outdoor dining opens at Manny’s with fresh produce provided by the nonprofit Farming Hope.

“Every dollar you spend on food goes to support Farming Hope’s non-profit kitchen at Manny’s which hires and trains formerly homeless and incarcerated individuals and places them into full time jobs when they graduate,” says Yekutiel.  “Support Farming Hope at https://farminghope.org/donate/ and order ahead if you’d like at www.mannysmoment.com.”

Since opening its doors on Election Night 2018, Manny’s has become an epicenter of community involvement, dialogue and civic engagement having served over 50,000 people, staged over 400 events, donated space to more than 150 area nonprofits and charities by hosting 17 presidential candidates. Also, besides receiving copious media and public attention, Manny’s was recognized for his above-and-beyond achievements by the California State Senate as “Small Business of the Year.” 

Manny’s is a people powered, community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. Manny’s goal: to create a central and affordable place to become a better informed and more involved citizen. Manny’s offers its events space to nonprofits, activists and civic organizations to spread their message and do their work as well as hosting its own civic and arts related programming. Manny’s kitchen is run by the non-profit, Farming Hope, which hires formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals and trains them in the food skills needed to work in the restaurant industry.

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

SS United States Gala 68 Variety Show — Friday, July 3 (4pm Pacific / 7pm East Coast)

In celebration of the 68^th anniversary of the SS United States’ maiden voyage on July 3, 1952

First Ever “Virtual Gala” for SS United States Conservancy  recreates style of 1950s-era “Colgate Comedy Hour” as filmed aboard SS United States

Celebrity Video Salutes from Dolly Parton, Kate Burton, and Mercedes Ellington

Special Guest Performances feature Klea Blackhurst and a Rendition of
the SS United States theme song: “First Lady of the Sea”
Featured Guests include Glenn Farrington from The Magic Castle,
Akira Sky singer-songwriter & star of DreamWorksTV’s “Junk Drawer Magic” and Nita Whitaker and her daughters Skye & Liisi LaFontaine

Conservancy West Coast Chapter Co-Chairs Mark Perry & David Perry Host with Susan Gibbs, Conservancy President and Granddaughter of
SS United States designer William Francis Gibbs

Beyond Pix Studios of San Francisco Produces Online Event

www.ssusc.org 

9 June 2020 — Hollywood, CA: The Coronavirus won’t stop the effort to save an enduring symbol of America’s spirit and resilience. On the anniversary of her record-breaking maiden voyage, “America’s Flagship” the SS United States will again serve as a powerful, unifying symbol of American triumph over adversity. On July 3, 2020 (4pm PST / 7pm EST), the nonprofit SS United StatesConservancy’sWest Coast Chapter(www.ssusc.org) willhost its first “virtual gala” in the style of the 1950s classic “Colgate Comedy Hour” variety show, once filmed aboard SS United States.  The online gala will be available on the Conservancy’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoSSUSC . 

This exciting digital event will feature celebrity appearances by country music legend Dolly Parton and actress Kate Burton (daughter of SS United States one-time passenger Richard Burton), Mercedes Ellington (granddaughter of jazz icon Duke Ellington who once performed aboard the ship), singer-songwriter Akira Sky, singers Nita Whitaker and her daughters Skye and Liisi LaFontaine, a performance of the ship’s rarely performed theme song “First Lady of the Sea” by cabaret sensation Klea Blackhurst accompanied by pianist Michael Tekulsky, and feats of magic from Glenn Farrington of Magic Castle fame. Donating technical support and sponsorship for the event is Beyond Pix Studios, an internationally recognized leader in broadcast services, headquartered in San Francisco.

“This is what happens when a ship geek with Hollywood connections gets an idea,” said Mark Perry, an Emmy and Golden Globe award winning writer-producer, Conservancy Board Member and founder of the Conservancy’s West Coast Chapter. “The Colgate Comedy Hour of the 1950s was quintessential must-see TV of the era, and once filmed aboard the SS United States. We want to add a little of that mid-century modern sparkle to our preservation and fundraising efforts.”

“Mark and I aren’t related by family, but rather by something much stronger: the family of ship lovers around the world,” said maritime historian and author David Perry, who is co-hosting the gala.“The SS United States is much more than a ship. She is an irreplaceable part of American history and an era when that history represented the very best of human achievement.”

The largest and last remaining ocean liner  built  in America, “The Big U” shattered the transatlantic speed record in both directions on her maiden voyage in 1952.  No passenger vessel has ever broken it. She played host to presidents, Hollywood stars and celebrities, tourists, and immigrants in the days before jet air travel, serving as a global ambassador of American promise. The ship was the height of American post-war innovation, technology, and design. Withdrawn from service in 1969, the SS United States has been berthed in Philadelphia since 1996 awaiting renewal.

The SS United States Conservancy prevented the ship from being scrapped in 2011, and today leads a global campaign to save and revitalize the vessel. Raising funds through donations and working to attract private investment, the Conservancy aims to redevelop her into a mixed-use destination and world-class museum.  In December of 2019, the Conservancy entered into an agreement with a prominent commercial real estate development firm, RXR Realty, which has been exploring a range of options for the SS United States’ redevelopment.

In addition to live commentary, rare film clips, and interaction with virtual audience members, the online gala will feature an auction of rare items related to the famed ocean liner, including a stunning painting by maritime artist Robert Lloyd and original sketches by famed author-illustrator David Macaulay.

“At this challenging time when our nation needs unifying symbols more than ever, the SS United States endures as a pinnacle of technological and artistic achievement. She’s a monument to the American can-do spirit,” says Susan Gibbs, President of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of the ship’s designer, William Francis Gibbs.

“As our nation contends with COVID-19 and other challenges, ‘America’s Flagship’ once again conveys a message of hope and resilience,” Gibbs adds. “Through the miracle of digital technology and allure of Hollywood glamour, this event will introduce the soaring story of the SS United States to a wider audience.”

In the coming days, further details about the online event will be forthcoming. Updates will also be posted on SS United States Conservancy’s website at www.ssusc.org.