FOLLOWING RECENT layoff notices, California Academy of Sciences employees gathered in front of City Hall on Thursday to call for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to conduct a full audit of the Academy’s finances.
About 20 current and former employees of the Academy brought instruments, noisemakers and handmade crafts. A life-sized puppet of Claude — the beloved albino alligator who lived at the Academy until his death late last year — was there to show his support.
There have been several rounds of layoffs over the last six years, the most recent in April that included at least 38 Cal Academy Workers United union members.
The California Academy of Sciences did not respond to a request for comment, but former Executive Director Scott Sampson released a message about the April layoffs.
“Our dedicated staff members are the lifeblood of the Academy and are instrumental in propelling our mission forward,” said Sampson, who is serving in an advisory capacity after resigning last month.
Sampson said that the staff reductions might feel especially challenging because there had been two other layoffs since 2020.
“Nevertheless, while eliminating some staff positions is painful, it is clear that these actions are necessary to reduce our expenses and eliminate our deficit,” he added.
“I want to believe they really think these layoffs are the only way they have of ensuring long-term viability of the institution,” said Teddy Vollman, the union chapter president and a presenter and guide at the Academy. “Unfortunately, their actions speak louder than their words. We at Cal Academy Workers United have made a shared sacrifice proposal where executives would take a pay cut to preserve the institution. They refused it.”
The entire planetarium team and more than half of the creative studio responsible for graphic design are among the recent layoffs.
“You could have the most interesting, accurate, and understandable topic in the world, but if were simply typed out in 12-point Helvetica on an 8 1/2-by-11 sheet of printer paper and taped to the wall, practically nobody would care,” said Vollman. “The creative studio is what makes an exhibit eye catching.”
A media advisory from the union said that workers have collected over 3,000 signatures on a petition calling for the Board of Trustees to rescind their layoffs and commit to not replacing their employees with contractors or AI.
Natalie Kramm, a fundraiser at the Academy, spoke at the rally.
“You would think after 173 years the academy’s unsinkable,” they said. “But recently we’ve seen other iconic Bay Area institutions like the California College of the Arts and SF Arts Institute go under, leaving the rest of us to scratch our heads, pick up the pieces and wonder how we let this happen.”
The workers spoke to the Board of Supervisors shortly after the rally, seeking an audit like the one released in May of the San Francisco Zoo. According to their website, the Academy receives about 10% of their funding from the city. Workers also called on the public to speak on their behalf at the budget hearing later Thursday afternoon.