**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURS. 6/11**

Contact: Jennie Smith-Camejo, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org, (510) 710-0201

April 28, the California Academy of Sciences announced it was laying off 53 employees in its third round of layoffs in five years. On the chopping block are the entire planetarium team, over half of the creative studio that produces the Academy’s in-house branding and graphic design, the team that created their latest exhibit “Vivid,” and many other longtime staff who are key to making the museum a popular destination for residents and tourists alike.

The cuts will impact the guest experience and the Academy’s reputation and legacy. While senior leadership says the layoffs are necessary due to a “structural deficit” and specifically blame the pandemic and drop in tourism, analysis shows many years of poor financial stewardship by the Board of Trustees, some of whom stood to gain from outrageously expensive debt refinancing. This Thursday, Academy workers will be rallying outside City Hall and then urging the Board of Supervisors to perform a full audit of the Academy’s finances.

What: Cal Academy workers rally for financial audit
When: Thursday, June 11, 9:30 a.m.
Where: San Francisco City Hall front steps (Polk Street side)
Visuals: Workers marching, chanting in union shirts, with life-sized puppet of Claude the Alligator

“Academy executives have repeatedly insisted that layoffs are necessary for the health of this beloved San Francisco institution. Yet reporting has found a concerning level of corrupt dealing, shortsighted decisions, and financial mismanagement, the consequences of which they seek to pass on to the workers and, ultimately, the public,” said Teddy Vollman, Cal Academy Workers United SEIU 1021 chapter president who is a public programs presenter and enhanced experience guide at the Academy and is on the layoff list. “We seek an audit of the Academy similar to the one just conducted of the San Francisco Zoo to ensure the people of San Francisco can continue to enjoy it for decades to come.”

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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, nonprofit agencies, health care programs, courts, and schools throughout Northern California, including seven private colleges and numerous community colleges. SEIU Local 1021 is a diverse, member-driven organization with members who work to make our cities, schools, colleges, counties, and special districts safe and healthy places to live and raise our families.