Cal Academy workers rally, demand Board of Supervisors conduct full audit of Academy’s finances
The California Academy of Sciences receives SF city funding, but with its history of mismanagement, poor financial stewardship, and excessive executive pay even as it seeks layoffs, workers are calling for increased scrutiny.
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.
Thursday, June 11, workers rallied outside City Hall and urged the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee to perform a full audit of the Academy’s finances.
“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.”
After the Cal Academy’s interim executive director issued a presentation before the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the committee’s chair Supervisor Connie Chan called for an audit of the Academy’s finances (53:00).
Workers have gathered over 3,500 signatures on a petition calling for the Board of Trustees to rescind the layoffs and commit to not using AI or contracting out to replace their work.
Read more about the rally and the audit request from SFGate here or watch the segment on KRON 4 here.