Scottsdale Arts

GivingTuesday is a global celebration of generosity—a time to give, collaborate, and embrace the spirit of giving. This GivingTuesday, join Scottsdale Arts in making a difference as we aim to reach our $5,000 goal to create a significant impact on our educational programs, help to engage visual and performing artists, and expand Scottsdale’s cultural offerings. With your help, we can continue to shape a more vibrant and playful Scottsdale. I hope you’ll join us on GivingTuesday! More Information

Herberger Theater Center

Join the Herberger Theater Center on Giving Tuesday. Your support is more important than ever to help us continue our mission of engaging the community through diverse arts experiences that ignite emotion, stimulate conversation, and inspire connections with the arts. The arts can transport us to a different world, give us a new perspective on familiar issues, and help us empathize with others. Providing an inclusive experience is at the core of the Herberger Theater’s mission: giving every person access to the arts. We don’t want anyone to be excluded from the Herberger Theater community for financial or logistical reasons. That’s why our programs are designed to make live performances available at no cost or low cost to the community. Connect the Community with the Arts —With your support, the Herberger Theater will continue celebrating the diverse cultural heritage of our community, providing meaningful experiences and programs while making the arts accessible to all. More Information

www.phoenixtheatre.com

As a non-profit theatre, the commitment of donors like you has a tremendous impact on our ability to bring you the absolute highest caliber productions — from the artisans behind the scenes to the talent you see on stage. And off the stage, our community programming, like Partners that Heal and our Summer Camp, provide theatre in service to heal, train, and inspire. Together, let’s Share the Joy! More Information

FOCUSFISH, INC

FOCUSfish is proud to be in its 20th year of offering quality performing arts education to schools and communities in need in the Greater Los Angeles area. With such notable appearances with The FOCUSfish Flying Circus at The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, and continued community theatre productions in Topanga, FOCUSfish is making sure that local children of all ages are moving swimmingly through their school days, and after-school curricula. More Information

The Road Theatre Company

Support us to open The Road for our communities! Subtitle systems, railings, a new stage… Donate for the overhaul of our theatre to make the Road and our program more inclusive and accessible. Help us to reach our Giving Tuesday goal in 2023 and to raise $10,000. More Information

RimoVision Group

RimoVision Group is committed to providing a platform for emerging talents who have yet to experience the spotlight. We passionately believe in giving opportunities to aspiring artists, compensating them for their time and effort, and helping them shine on stage like never before. Diversity is at the heart of our organization. Our cast, crew, and board members come from diverse backgrounds, and we take immense pride in representing many underrepresented communities. By embracing this inclusive approach, we aim to create theatre that resonates with the richness of the world we live in. More Information

Towne Street Theatre

Celebrating 30 years of providing theatre to Los Angeles, the Towne Street Theatre, LA’s premiere African-American theatre company is the most diverse theatre company in LA! Fresh off the success of the 12th Annual Ten Minute Play Festival and our first film festival, we have a whole slate of great programming for 2024. Give $30 for Giving Tuesday and ensure this theatre makes it to another 30 years! More Information

Capital Stage

Donate to Capital Stage on Giving Tuesday to support your home for cutting-edge professional theatre in Sacramento. Visit capstage.org/play-a-part/donate More Information

Cygnet Theatre

The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center is an adaptive reuse and historic preservation project at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station that will become the future permanent home for Cygnet Theatre. With the public’s support, historic Building 178 will be reimagined as a contemporary home for Cygnet Theatre and will foster live performance, elevate the arts in San Diego and engage the broadest possible community in an unparalleled cultural experience for generations to come. In 2022, NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre announced their unique partnership in the renovation of historic Naval Building 178 at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, which will become The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center. The project will restore historic elements of the building, as well as integrate two state-of-the-art theatres and support spaces, among other enhancements. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center will become the first live performance venue at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station and Cygnet Theatre’s permanent home, adding to the vibrant fabric of San Diego’s arts and culture landscape. To-date, this landmark project has received funding from the State of California, National Park Service and generous lead donors such as Joan and Irwin Jacobs for whom the center is named. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center will rely on philanthropic community support to fulfill the remainder of funds needed to complete this project. Public Donation Opportunities: Donations can be made via: building178.org Contacting Campaign Manager Mindy DeDominicis at 619-574-0059 x 178 Mailing a check to: Building 178 c/o Cygnet Theatre 4891 Pacific Highway Ste 115 San Diego, CA 92110 Naming Opportunities Donor Wall Inclusion (min. $25K donation) More Information

Oceanside Theatre Company

An important part of OTC’s mission is to perform community outreach, inspiring and sharing the arts with our youth. Filling the gap left by the elimination of the study of the arts in local schools is critically important. To help accomplish our mission, OTC runs a four-week Summer Youth Camp and provides an after-school Youth Academy in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oceanside to interested students and at-risk youth in Oceanside. This year, we hosted over 60 local youth in our production of Beauty and the Beast – beyond our public performances, we were able to host nearly 400 students from 6 local elementary schools for student matinees, many of whom experienced live theatre for the first time with us. Finally, OTC employs dozens of artists every year – actors, musicians, directors, designers, educators and more. With your support, we can continue to offer them fair compensation for sharing their time and talents with us. When artists are given the opportunity to work in a paid, professional environment, it allows us to hire the best local creatives and share more art experiences with our community. So please consider making a donation to support OTC today. Your gift goes a long way in bringing more arts and culture experiences to our community. And today, your gift is doubled! There is no better time to contribute to your local theatre. We appreciate your support, and we look forward to seeing you at the theatre again soon! More Information

San Francisco Symphony

Celebrate this Giving Tuesday by helping the San Francisco Symphony reach our Year-End Matching Gift campaign goal of $100,000 by December 31. The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation for the Arts will match your gift—increasing your support of our performances, free music education programs, and community outreach initiatives to share the magic of music with everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area. More Information

Theatre Rhinoceros

This Giving Tuesday, Theatre Rhinoceros is looking down a sold-out closing weekend for ‘Group Therapy’, a world premiere by Bay Area playwright Kheven LaGrone, hot off the heels of ‘Overlooked Latinas’ by local queer theatre icon Tina D’Elia and a Halloween collaboration with Palace of Trash, and also: WE GOT OUR PLUMBING FIXED! With your Giving Tuesday donation, you can: help us hire more artists, and help us pay them more! – help us stay at our new home in the Castro! – help us increase the accessibility of our performances! – and help us scout for a larger performance location in the Castro that we might move into in a few years, because our audience continues to grow! More Information

PlayGround

PlayGround is raising funds to directly support fair living wages for artists through the Monday Night PlayGround Membership. These memberships subsidize PlayGround’s commitment to free admission, and includes live and extended on-demand online access to all of the MNP performances across our 4 locations, plus guaranteed seat reservation for in-person performances, and it’s 100% tax-deductible. Help us raise $10,000 to directly support working artists this Giving Tuesday! More Information

Plethos Productions

As Plethos is fundraising for another year of local and diverse theatre productions, we are hosting our Giving Tuesday fundraiser as “pay what you can,” with all donors invited to give whatever is comfortable. Our goal this year is to raise $10,000 to support expansion in 2024 with the focus being the creation of more jobs, bringing on more staff, and expanding Plethos’ offerings. We want to support amazing people and artists so their voices can be heard across the Bay, so join us as we sing our hearts out this Giving Tuesday! More Information

Marin Theatre Company

We understand the incredible sense of responsibility owed to every artist and audience member who walks through our door and Marin Theatre Company is sustained by this drive to uplift and amplify our local artists, educators, and patrons. We are so honored to lead such an important cultural organization in Mill Valley, and we remain steadfast in our mission to bring high-caliber, innovative theatrical experiences that inspire conversation, learning, and ignite action for a more inclusive community. Now more than ever, we need our community to invest in us. The stories MTC tells on stage will continue to inspire not only the next generation of artists, but ensure the future and longevity of this cultural staple. Your generosity is crucial to keeping these programs alive and thriving. Please consider a gift today that provides year-round support for our ongoing new work development, education initiatives, and more. More Information

Young Actors’ Theatre Camp

Every year, CampYATC strives to raise $20,000 on Giving Tuesday to be able to send 20 Students to one of the Best Theatre Arts Camps in the world! We all know how important arts education is and YATC strives to give students a completely safe and supportive environment to develop and discover the artist within. YATC offers an all inclusive and non-competitive environment that will make all our campers feel, not just welcomed, but wanted! More Information

Marin Shakespeare Company

Thank you for supporting Marin Shakespeare Company, which is “Playing for Good.” Your support helps us provide a variety of award-winning Arts programming, Education classes for Youth, and Social Justice programs that provide theatre opportunities for people incarcerated and people who have survived prison. More Information

3Girls Theatre Company

3Girls Theatre develops, promotes, and presents new plays by San Francisco women+ playwrights. Our community, programming, and artist services provide playwrights with everything they need to develop and produce their scripts, nurturing women+ theatre artists ranging in age from 11-90+, and empowering BIPOC and LBTQI+ playwrights. We are kicking off our 2023-2024 Fundraising campaign with the goal to raise $40,000 to continue our mission to support and celebrate women+ playwrights! We even have an anonymous donor who will match up to $20,000! Potentially DOUBLING YOUR IMPACT on this small, but fierce organization! Donate now via GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/114285d8 More Information

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (ETC) is Santa Barbara’s sole professional Equity theater company. Producing five plays per season, it has been home to several World, American and West Coast premieres and has received recognition and accolades throughout its enduring history. Ensemble depends on gifts from the community all year long to help subsidize ticket prices, fund education outreach programs and support artistic freedom. Your tax-deductible donation makes a tremendous impact on the theater. Ticket Sales only account for only 40% of what it takes to create our productions. Your contributions are key to ensuring live theater will live on in Santa Barbara. More Information

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to support the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, a non-profit, professional theatre company dedicated to bringing the magic of Shakespeare to our community. Why donate? Kingsmen Shakespeare relies heavily on the generosity of donors to continue providing professionally produced Shakespeare productions during their annual summer Festival. Your support also helps further their outreach to students in local school districts through the spring Shakespeare Educational Tour. These programs enrich our community, providing cultural experiences and educational opportunities for all. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Visit https://www.kingsmenshakespeare.org/festival/donate.html to make your donation today. More Information

Boise Contemporary Theater

BCT’s Theater Lab is a great opportunity for students to learn all the ins and outs of writing, producing and performing in their own, original play. However, the $475/student tuition can be prohibitive for some students. That’s why we’re focusing this year’s #givingtuesday fundraiser to provide scholarships to students who would otherwise not be able to afford Theater Lab. Your donation will help us provide scholarships to students who are passionate about sharing their stories through theater. With your help, we can make the Theater Lab accessible to all students, regardless of their financial situation. Please donate today and help us make a difference in the lives of students who want to pursue their dreams in theater and share their voice with the world! Thank you for your support! “When I started Theater Lab, I was barely able to talk to my classmates, let alone on stage in front of hundreds of people. Theater Lab forced me to speak my mind, and have confidence in my actions. This program has changed my life and made me into the person I am today.” ~Theater Lab Student “I used to think Theater Lab was about writing, performing, and having fun in the process. No, that’s what you do, part of what you do, but not what Theater Lab is about. Theater Lab is about growing as a person. Learning to think in new ways, experience new things, be with new people.” ~Theater Lab Student More Information

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

Giving Tuesday is a day that provides each of us with an opportunity to remember our favorite charities with a special contribution. As you embark on your holiday giving, we ask you to consider supporting our non-profit, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Your generous contribution will play a vital role in our ability to continue enriching Southern Nevada with the finest in arts and culture. With ticket prices covering only 70 cents of every dollar needed, the support of our valued Members is absolutely essential to all that we aspire to achieve. We invite you to make Giving Tuesday a truly meaningful day by supporting The Smith Center More Information

Portland Opera

Your kind acts transform our kind of acts. Portland Opera is powered by the generosity of this community, and is made stronger by the partnerships and connections that we create together. More Information

Washington Pavilion

The Washington Pavilion is proud to participate in Giving Tuesday and South Dakota Gives to raise funds for youth programming. Our youth programs are made possible through the generosity of our community, and by supporting the Washington Pavilion on Giving Tuesday, you are cultivating a lifelong love for the arts and science. Donate the week of November 26 to maximize your impact! Thanks to the generosity of Bob and Lori Sutton, our youth programming will receive an additional $25 for every new donor that week, up to 100 donors. More Information

The Premiere Playhouse

For Giving Tuesday this year we hope to increase our 120 Club Members to 50 by donating $120 one time a year OR signing up to give $10 a month for the year. As a 120 Club Member, your monthly contribution helps to provide complimentary tickets to area non-profits and the underprivileged population allowing us to share the magic of live community theatre in the Sioux Empire! More Information

Harlequin Productions

Harlequin Productions produces theatrical works that evoke emotion and thought; while building and empowering its community. We seek to invigorate, educate, and empower our community and all people, to feel more, think more, play more, and judge less through the mirror of real live theatre. Through the continued support of donors like you we are able ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the transformative power of live theatre. More Information Seattle Rep” src=”https://eventsimages.broadwayworld.com/research/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/01174515/SR_Vertical_Blackhighres.jpg” align=”right” width=”150″ />

Seattle Rep

This November, we invite you to support Seattle Rep as we celebrate our 60th birthday. Over the past six decades, Seattle Rep has brough powerful, life-changing theater to our city and region. From the amazing productions on stage to inspiring community programs and partnerships, none of our work would be possible without the support of theatergoers like you! One Giving Tuesday, your gift to Seattle Rep will enrich our entire community through extraordinary live theater. Celebrate our next 60 years with a donation of any size today! More Information

Mountain Movers Theatre Company

In this season of giving, please consider giving a gift that benefits our whole community and supports the arts! Your generosity could send a kid to one of our professionally-staffed kidcamps, or help fund tickets for school audiences, or provide maintenance on critical equipment! Click on our Giving Tuesday “donate now” button and follow the link to a place where you can help make theatre more available and accessible to everyone in our region! More Information

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New investment is expected to help Apex continue its growth trajectory in recession-resistant, $100+ billion home services industry

SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a Certified B Corp people-driven private equity firm committed to building enduring software and services companies, today announced the completion of a $3.4 billion single-asset secondary market transaction to continue its partnership with Apex Service Partners (“Apex”), an HVAC, plumbing and electrical services leader and a portfolio company of Alpine Investors VII and VII-A (“Fund VII”).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231025759806/en/

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Apex is a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical services platform that partners with leading providers across the country. With over 8,000 employees nationwide, Apex focuses on empowering its people to build a strong network of industry leaders who can share resources, best practices and expertise in order to deliver unparalleled service to customers.

The transaction is solely dedicated to the further expansion of Apex and underscores Alpine’s commitment to facilitating the next stage of growth for the services platform, as well as Alpine’s dedication to offering liquidity to its limited partners. The announcement follows the recent close of Alpine’s latest fund, Alpine Investors IX (“Fund IX”), which reached the fund’s hard cap of $4.5 billion of LP commitments. Fund IX invested $450 million in Apex alongside the continuation fund.

“Apex has a unique model that is built on combining leading brands with exceptional people,” said Graham Weaver, Founder and CEO of Alpine Investors. “The result is that Apex creates outstanding experiences for its customers and continues to experience explosive growth. We believe the extraordinary people at Apex have only begun to scratch the surface of the market opportunity ahead of them. We are excited to continue supporting their growth and to have given our investors the opportunity to participate in this collaborative secondary process.”

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Commitments for Apex include contributions from Blackstone Strategic Partners, HarbourVest Partners, Lexington Partners, and Pantheon, as well as commitments from Alpine’s Fund IX. Limited partners of Fund VII were able to receive liquidity for their 2019 investments or roll a portion of their investments into the continuation fund and remain stakeholders. In line with Alpine’s investor-friendly process, limited partners were also given opportunities to combine their liquidity and rollover options to varying degrees based on their preferences.

“In just four years, Apex Service Partners has built a leading national business by serving as a force multiplier for the incredible employees and leading local brands within our platform,” said AJ Brown, CEO of Apex Service Partners. “Alpine’s support through its industry experience, resources and focus on people supercharged our growth while helping us hire, train and retain exceptional talent. They’ve been a true thought partner for us at each step in our journey and we’re excited to continue to have them by our side as we seek to scale to new heights with the help of continued and new investors alike.”

AJ Brown was part of Alpine’s CEO-in-Residence program, and he previously served as CFO of construction software company Avitru, a former Alpine portfolio company. Apex President Will Matson is an additional example of recruiting through Alpine’s talent programs, having been hired through its CEO-in-Training program. Both are excited to continue leading Apex during its next phase of growth.

Evercore Inc. acted as the lead financial advisor along with J.P. Morgan and Cowen for the transaction and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel to Alpine. Morrison Foerster served as debt counsel.

About Apex Service Partners

Apex Service Partners is a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical services group whose goal is to partner with world-class service providers to build an industry leading national platform. Apex focuses on leveraging the power of people to build a strong network of industry leaders who can share resources, best practices and expertise in order to deliver unparalleled service to customers and opportunities for employees. To learn more about Apex Service Partners, please visit www.apexservicepartners.com.

About Alpine Investors

Alpine Investors is a people-driven private equity firm committed to building enduring companies by working with, learning from, and developing exceptional people. Alpine specializes in investments in the software and services industries. Alpine’s PeopleFirst strategy includes a talent program that allows Alpine to bring leadership to situations where additional or new management is needed post-transaction. Alpine has $16 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023, and has three offices in San Francisco, New York, and Salt Lake City.1 For more information, visit www.alpineinvestors.com and https://alpineinvestors.com/terms-conditions/ for full disclaimers including, but not limited to, third-party statements and certifications and Alpine Operations Group.

_____________________________
1 Inclusive of additional commitments to the continuation fund as of October 20, 2023 and fair market value as of June 30, 2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231025759806/en/

Contacts

Media
Audrey Harris
Head of Marketing
aharris@alpineinvestors.com

Sarah Braunstein
sbraunstein@sloanepr.com

The post Alpine Traders Closes $3.4 Billion Single-Asset Continuation Transaction to Help Continued Progress of Apex Service Companions appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Giants will donate resources, support mental health efforts, and increase awareness for prison reform.

San Quentin team to be renamed San Quentin Giants.

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (August 24, 2023) – Pollen Initiative – an organization dedicated to cultivating rehabilitative programs inside prisons across the U.S. – today announced a new partnership with the San Francisco Giants to provide philanthropic support to San Quentin Baseball, the official baseball team of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQRC). In an effort to support meaningful prison reform initiatives and powerful rehabilitation programs, the program will strengthen one of the prison’s longest running and most successful restorative initiatives. As part of the partnership, the team will also be renamed the San Quentin Giants.

For more than 70 years, the San Quentin Baseball team has helped the incarcerated population at SQSP develop valuable skills, including teamwork, discipline, and effective communication – crucial tools for success inside prison walls and upon reentry into the broader society.

“We are proud to work alongside the Pollen Initiative to support the impactful rehabilitative programs at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, while bringing greater awareness to prison reform within our community at large,” said Shana Daum, San Francisco Giants senior vice president of communications and community relations. “Through the power of baseball, the San Quentin Giants will be equipped with the tools and resources needed for future success.”

For decades, the Giants have worked closely with San Quentin Baseball on impactful prison reform efforts, and today’s announcement elevates the Giants contributions to a new level. As part of this new partnership, the Giants will provide uniforms and equipment as well as mental health and physical performance support to the team at SQRC.

Personnel from the Giants will also participate in discussions at the prison to help foster a constructive dialogue about prison reform and social justice issues confronted by those who are incarcerated. The program will serve as a foundation for future

collaborations as SQRC looks to expand its life-affirming, transformational opportunities for participants.

“I am grateful for the long-standing support, that the San Quentin baseball team, and administration has received from the San Francisco Giants organization. I’m especially excited about the reinvigorated collaboration moving forward,” says Ron Broomfield, director of CDCR’s Division of Adult Institutions. “Sports can create hope in a place associated with hopelessness and despair. It is one of the most powerful means of breaking down language, social and racial barriers. That along with the mental health aspect of this partnership makes it that much more powerful and impactful. I am confident that the San Quentin baseball team will continue to thrive, providing the incarcerated population with opportunities for recreation, personal growth, and rehabilitation.”

“We are proud to help facilitate this meaningful partnership that will mean more individuals can experience the positive and restorative benefits of sports through this transformational program,” said Branden Terrell, advisor at Pollen and lead coordinator for the partnership. “Support from the San Francisco Giants will help raise awareness for valuable restorative programming that makes communities safer, and

have a remarkable impact on those incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. We look forward to bringing more valuable programs like this to this prison, further reducing recidivism and improving our Bay Area community.”

# # #

We aim to turn the stigma of incarceration into a catalyst for growth, community impact and transformation. The Pollen Initiative – formerly known as the Friends of San Quentin News – is an organization dedicated to cultivating rehabilitative programs inside prisons across the U.S., with a special focus on media centers inside prisons and jails. Through hands-on journalism and audiovisual training, as well as leadership programs that facilitate personal growth and transferable skills, the projects led by incarcerated writers and media producers contribute to more balanced, grounded narratives both inside and outside. We support a collection of hand-picked existing prison newsrooms, like the historic San Quentin News, as well as emerging newsrooms, media projects and other rehabilitative programs.

One of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, the 140-year-old franchise moved to San Francisco from New York in 1958. After playing a total of 42 years in Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park, the team moved to the privately constructed, downtown ballpark on the corner of 3rd and King in 2000. The organization is widely recognized for its innovative business practices and baseball excellence having been named in the past decade the Sports Organization of the Year by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, Organization of the Year by Baseball America and ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Oracle Park is also the only ballpark in the country to have earned Silver, Gold and Platinum LEED certification for an existing building.

Since opening its gates, Oracle Park has become internationally-renowned as a premier venue in the world of both sports and entertainment. On the diamond, more than 67 million spectators have witnessed countless magical moments, including three World Series Championships (2010, 2012 & 2014), the raising of four National League Pennants and eight playoff appearances. The ballpark has also hosted some of music’s biggest acts, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé & Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Green Day and Billy Joel.

Contacts:

San Francisco Giants | Sophie Lair

 slair@sfgiants.com

FGS Global | Jeremy Pelofsky

 SanQuentinNews@fgsglobal.com

The post SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS AND POLLEN INITIATIVE SUPPORT SAN QUENTIN BASEBALL TEAM appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Tuesday’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting ended with a surprise twist when a resolution supporting Senate Bill 532, which would increase bridge tolls in the Bay Area by $1.50 over the next five years, was ratified to help finance troubled transport companies was referred back to committee.

Supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents Bayview and other southeastern boroughs, moved the motion to refer the resolution back to the board’s Land Use and Transportation Committee. Supervisor Connie Chan, representing Richmond County, also supported the move.

Supervisor Shaman Walton | Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

The resolution is non-binding, but Tuesday’s action nonetheless signals opposition to the toll increase bill introduced by Senator Scott Wiener and public transit advocates to save local transit companies like BART and Muni from a post-Covid “fiscal cliff”.

Walton pointed to the potential negative impact of a toll increase on low-income people who depend on the bridges to get to work or otherwise.

“I support this bill, but it definitely deserves discussion in committee because of the negative impact it will have on low-income communities, communities of color, and people who are struggling,” Walton said Tuesday. “I think the community should have the opportunity to learn more about the impact.”

Ironically, the bill had already garnered the support of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s board of directors, whose members are identical to the board of directors.

The board of directors of the Transportation Authority voted 7-1 in support of SB 532 at its July 11 meeting, with Chan opposed and members Rafael Mandelman, Hillary Ronen and Ahsha Safaí absent.

Returning the resolution to committee means the full board likely won’t be able to comment on the bill until it returns from recess in September. By that time, the Senate vote may have already taken place, as Mandelman pointed out on Tuesday.

“I guess I’d be curious what the expectations would be for what might be presented at a committee hearing on this issue, assuming it’s still active when we come back in September,” Mandelman said.

Meanwhile, Chan reiterated her opposition.

Supervisor Connie Chan | Juliana Yamada/The Standard

“I continue to not support the increase in bridge tolls… Many essential workers come to San Francisco not only by public transportation but also by car. [and the] The bridge toll will be a financial burden for many.”

Chan also referenced comments by San Francisco chief economist Ted Egan in a July 6 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, in which he said that increasing bridge tolls “could exacerbate the problem downtown.”

The opposition of Chan and Walton, or at least his constituents, also reflects their boroughs’ historical transportation patterns: Richmond residents continue to prefer driving, and Bayview residents claim their community is still underserved by public transportation.

Both Walton and Chan also took opposing sides on another contentious issue involving the dispute between public transit drivers and motorists. That was last year’s successful campaign to permanently close John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park to traffic.

SB 532 would increase tolls on most regional bridges by $1.50 over five years, raising up to $900 million in rescue funds for regional transit companies facing a post-Covid “death spiral.” Returns in which service cuts further depress ridership and revenue in a cycle of decline.

Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said the fiscal cliff his agency faces in 2025 would require cutting as many as 20 Muni bus lines as early as this summer.

California State Senator Scott Wiener speaks during the official opening of the new Bus Rapid Transit corridor on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco April 1, 2022. | Nick Otto

SB 532 sponsor Wiener responded to Tuesday’s events to The Standard that his office is “already working to include equitable tolling measures in the bill and we intend to include more.” I’m confident we’ll address the concerns we’ve raised can [Chan and Walton].”

He added, “We all agree that the true justice disaster would be to collapse public transit in the Bay Area, and that’s exactly what we wanted to prevent with SB 532.”

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As cyber, natural disasters and other perils pose risks to businesses, they turn to their insurance partners for support and advice.

Risk managers have seen some disruption in recent years. From the pandemic and cyberattacks to natural disasters, talent challenges and the looming recession, risk professionals have a busy schedule.

To get a picture of risk managers’ views of the industry, Risk & Insurance® surveyed 156 risk managers.

They shared insights into their most worrying risks, which lines they are struggling to secure cover for, what they look to their brokers and carriers for, and how technology is helping them manage evolving risks.

Surprisingly, trending issues like inflation remain less of a concern for risk managers (only 9.62% named it a top concern), while issues like real estate and cyber, which have been challenges for years, remain top priorities. Here’s a look at their top three concerns and what they’re doing to manage those risks.

What risks are risk managers most concerned about?

1) Cyber ​​risk: Nearly 30% of risk managers surveyed cited cyber as the most worrying risk facing their organization. In recent years, cyberattacks have increased in frequency and severity, with healthcare, public sector and manufacturing sectors particularly vulnerable.

In addition to concerns about cyber risks, many risk managers surveyed expressed difficulty finding insurance coverage for these risks. Over 30% of risk managers said cyber was the most difficult line of insurance they found economically to retain.

2) Talent Shortage: Skills shortages continue to be an issue for employers, even as more and more companies are announcing layoffs and economists are predicting a recession. In the survey, 26.28% of respondents named the shortage of skilled workers as one of their biggest problems.

Talent gaps can impact workers’ compensation risks, says Donald Noel, ARM-E, CEBS, Risk & Safety Manager, The School District of Palm Beach County. Newer employees have a higher risk of injury at work. If an employee is injured in a company with staff shortages, it can put an additional strain on the organization.

“Safety is a priority for us to prevent the staff we have wasting time through injuries,” Noel said.

And they’re a problem for risk management, too: 36.30% of respondents said they don’t have the people to deliver on their departmental goals.

3) CAT exposures: CAT risks were the third-biggest risk, with 13.46% of respondents citing it as the top concern. Storms such as hurricanes have become more frequent in recent years and have repeatedly caused damage.

Property insurance was the second most difficult coverage to tie, said risk managers who took part in the survey, with 25.34% listing it as their most difficult line of business.

To manage these risks, many risk managers update their properties to include improvements that protect them from severe weather.

“Our district is investing in upgrading our older facilities, including new roofs, waterproofing, and improved mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems,” Noel said. “These investments help keep our buildings drier and provide a healthy learning environment for our students.”

What do risk managers look for in their freight forwarders and brokers?

In managing these complex risks, risk managers look to their insurance agents and carriers for support.

The survey found that industry knowledge and underwriting expertise are the most important qualities that risk managers look for in their broker or carrier.

Carriers and brokers with in-depth knowledge can help design creative insurance solutions for their clients and offer advice on how to reduce exposure to specific risks.

34.62% of respondents said they value industry knowledge from their agent and 25.64% said they look to their airline for strong underwriting expertise.

After these qualities, risk managers prioritized strong customer service, competitive pricing, and ease of doing business.

Price and ease of doing business are the second most important criteria for quality risk managers in a carrier, with as many as 20.51% of respondents citing both as top priorities. On the agent side, 28.21% of risk managers surveyed said customer service was an important quality to look for in their agent.

How does technology help manage these risks?

Risk managers not only rely on the expertise of carriers and brokers to manage these risks, they are also turning to technology to reduce and manage a variety of hazards.

Nearly 30% of risk managers said they prioritize investments in technology. These tools can range from sensors that help identify potential damage from things like flooding, cybersecurity controls, and AI and predictive analytics systems.

On the cyber side, Noel says he sees organizations using tools like multi-factor authentication to protect themselves from cyber attacks.

As for predictive analytics, 42.47% of respondents said predictive analytics was somewhat helpful in risk management and 12.33% said it was very effective. Over ten percent said they have not experienced any benefits from predictive analytics, and 23.29% said they are not yet using it.

The Palm Beach County School District uses predictive analytics about its TPA to determine which claims need attention from adjusters.

“When predicting severity, we can use more experienced subject matter experts on the original claims of this PA [predictive analytics] determines that this will result in an expensive or legal claim,” he said.

The prioritization of both knowledgeable insurance teams and technology investments shows that risk managers understand they need to take a multi-pronged approach to managing risk in today’s changing world. &

Courtney DuChene is a freelance journalist based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at [email protected]

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Black woman wearing colorful coat by Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA

Updated 3/18/23 at 8:00am ET

This isn’t an exercise: San Francisco is taking serious steps towards redress, and the payout could be huge — about $5 million per person.

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On Tuesday, members of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee presented their draft reparations proposal to the city’s board of directors.

The board unanimously approved the draft plan, which includes a list of 100 recommendations ranging from offering homeownership grants to black residents to providing a $5 million lump sum.

But before we rush out and plan a move to San Francisco, it’s worth diving into the details. First and foremost, the board has time to reject or change some or all of the recommendations of the indemnity committee.

It’s also worth noting that under none of these plans would all blacks currently residing in San Francisco be eligible. The criteria the committee established included length of stay in the city and being a victim or descendant of a victim of the Drug War.

Of course, the plan has some serious opponents who argue the city can’t afford reparations. Others argued that California was technically one of the “free states” and should be exempt. However, if you dig a little, you’ll find that slavery certainly existed in California.

Eric McDonnell, chair of the Reparations Committee, did not hold back when discussing criticisms of the plan: “There’s still a veiled perspective that frankly, black people don’t deserve this. The number itself, $5 million, is actually low considering the damage.”

The fight for reparations across the country

San Francisco isn’t the only place looking for reparations. The Boston City Council voted unanimously to create a task force in December to deal with reparations.

The story goes on

The economic disparities between black and white Bostonians are pretty bad. The median net worth for black Bostonians in 2015 was $8 compared to $247,500 for the average white family. And the new task force will examine how decades of slavery, discrimination and prejudice got history to where it is today and what reparations could do to fix it.

Detroit, Michigan also joined the reparations train to form its own task force. In Amherst, Massachusetts, the city council voted to provide a total of $2 million in reparations over the next decade.

It seems unlikely that black residents of San Francisco or any of those cities will see $5 million in their bank accounts anytime soon. But the demand for reparations has undoubtedly come a long way in recent years.

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(CNN) A one-time payment of $5 million to each eligible Black resident is among recommendations that the San Francisco board of directors unanimously accepted as part of a draft plan by a panel proposing redress.

Tuesday’s move was an interim step, with a final report containing board feedback due in June, the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee said, and the board is scheduled to meet again on the issue in September.

“Now the real work continues,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton. “Like I said before, we need to stay focused and stay together as a community because now it’s 100% more common that we can’t be separated or divided.

“Let’s not lose focus because when we get the final report, we actually have to fund the way forward.”

While federal reparations efforts have stalled in Congress, efforts by cities from Massachusetts to Illinois to California to atone for damages rooted in slavery — and to address the racial wealth gap — have gained momentum since the assassination by George Floyd by police in 2020 has revived the Black Lives Matter movement.

The San Francisco Reparations Advisory Committee was formed in 2020 to create a plan to address the institutional, city-sanctioned damage being done to African American communities. But city leaders have questioned in recent months whether the city can fund the redress proposals.

“I think the big challenge was how do we quantify, how do we come up with a number. And then the next challenge will be where does this money actually come from? Who is responsible for this,” San Francisco Republican Party leader John Dennis told CNN affiliate KGO in January.

Members of the public who addressed the city legislature on Tuesday supported dozens of the Reparations Advisory Committee’s recommendations regarding financial redress, housing, job creation, education, the school-to-prison link, health and other local policies .

“Reparations is about justice,” said Mo McNelly, artist and Generation San Franciscan, adding, “We cannot have justice for some and not for all.”

“The system is not broken,” said resident Darnesha Carlos. “It’s working exactly as it was intended and I think we have to acknowledge that, understand that and as managers have stepped in and said they support that, they want to see redress.

“I have faith that those who showed solidarity today will stand in solidarity with their voice when the rubber hits the streets.”

The Compensation Advisory Board is not authorized to implement its recommendations. It presented in January a list of qualifying criteria for the proposed payments, including age, residency and the enslavement, expulsion or discrimination of an ancestor during specific periods.

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From Mayor’s Office

Mayor London N. Breed announced Tuesday $47.9 million in new funding to support the economic recovery of the City’s Economic Core that will be part of her proposed budget.

This will include new direct support for small businesses, as well as new events, activations, and public space improvements to support areas that rely on workers, tourists, and other visitors.

The funding proposal will also continue the City’s existing Ambassador programs located in areas like Mid-Market, Union Square, Downtown, South of Market, and along the Embarcadero.

These resources are aimed primarily at funding initiatives that directly support and drive foot traffic to the small businesses in San Francisco’s Economic Core, which includes Downtown, South of Market, Union Square, Civic Center, Yerba Buena, and Mission Bay.

These areas continue to experience ongoing and significant disruptions to the employee and tourist-based foot traffic that they relied on prior to the pandemic.

“While San Francisco is bouncing back from this pandemic, we continue to see major shifts in our city, and we see that in our Economic Core more than anywhere else,” said Breed. “I’ve been visiting businesses large and small, and while it’s clear we are all committed to adapting and thriving as part of our long-term recovery, our small businesses in these downtown areas cannot wait any longer. They need all of us dedicating our energy and resources to help them in the short term, as we continue to do the work to get our city back on track.”

The Mayor’s budget proposal includes:

• $10 million for direct grants and loans aimed at helping small businesses launch, stabilize, scale up and adapt business models. New funding will expand programs to serve businesses throughout the City, including businesses within the Economic Core.
• $10.5 million over the two years for the City Core Recovery Fund to support events, public space and ground floor activations, as well as a city-wide marketing campaign. This funding is envisioned to support community driven efforts to beautify, improve, and activate public spaces and ground floor vacancies throughout the Economic Core.
• $25.4 million over the next two years to continue the Mid-Market/Tenderloin Community-Based Safety Program, which provides community ambassadors who are focused on creating more welcoming, clean, and vibrant environments for residents, workers, and visitors in the areas around the Tenderloin, Civic Center, and Market Street.
• $2 million for SF Welcome Ambassadors and Retired Police Community Ambassadors stationed in key transit and tourist nodes such as Downtown BART stations, Union Square, Moscone Convention Center, and along the Embarcadero.

These funds will maintain the City’s current investment and will allow for a consistent and visible safety presence as well as proactive positive engagement and friendly assistance in wayfinding, making referrals and recommendations, and coordinating with other City departments and community-based efforts to support positive street conditions and experiences by business owners, employees, residents, and visitors alike.

The specific programming and initiatives created through this funding will be informed by convening key representatives of the industries, businesses, community groups, and other stakeholders in the Economic Core to understand and respond to the immediate needs and challenges those on the ground are experiencing, and to adopt and scale the solutions they are developing.

“San Francisco small businesses are the cornerstone of our economic recovery. Through the leadership of Mayor Breed, these proposed investments are practical solutions that will help bring customers and visitors back into our Economic Core which comprises over 40% of our small businesses,” said Kate Sofis, executive director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development . “As the dynamic continues to change and shift on the ground, we want to ensure we stabilize our small businesses, including our local artists, musicians, and performers with new funding and programs that activate and create opportunities and a safe and welcoming space for everyone . When our small businesses thrive, our city thrives.”

Mayor Breed partnered with Advance SF to create the “Renewing San Francisco’s Economic Core Forum,” a facilitated conversation with a cross-section of stakeholders from the Economic Core including large and small businesses, arts groups, brokers and real estate representatives, hospitality and entertainment establishments, and community benefits districts, among others.

This group began a process to develop a shared vision for supporting the ongoing vibrance of the Economic Core in the post-pandemic economic context and identify immediate needs as well as mid- and long-term initiatives to explore.

Through ongoing dialogue and discussion and in coordination with a broad set of stakeholders, San Francisco will continue to advance strategies that leverage key assets of its economic core to support its continued vibrancy and preserve its role in supporting the region’s economic well-being.

“Over the last several months, Advance SF has worked with the Mayor’s Office to bring private and public sector partners together to develop strategies to restore our Economic Core,” said Larry Baer, ​​Co-Chair of Advance SF. “Mayor Breed is laser-focused on San Francisco’s post-pandemic recovery and the budget released today sets a clear vision to immediately address our city’s most pressing economic challenges,” continued Lloyd Dean, Co-Chair of Advance SF.

Prior to the pandemic, 469,745 people commuted to San Francisco for work. According to the most recent report from the City Economist, offices are seeing just 35% of their workforce returning to the office. Additionally, the City averaged 1 million annual tourists prior to the pandemic, and SF Travel does not estimate a full tourism recovery until 2024.

The Mayor’s proposed budget prioritizes the urgent needs of the small consumer-facing businesses in the Economic Core. Over 42% of the City’s small businesses are in the Economic Core and pre-pandemic, this area generated more than 45% of the City’s sales tax. While sales tax indicates that almost all of San Francisco’s neighborhoods have recovered the vast majority of the economic activity they generated prior to the pandemic, San Francisco’s office and tourist districts, including the Financial District, East Cut, Yerba Buena, Union Square, Mid-Market and SOMA maintain deficits of 20% or more.

“The challenges facing small businesses in San Francisco’s Economic Core are immense,” said Andrew Chun, owner of Schroeder’s Bar and Restaurant at Front and California Street. “As the rest of the City continues its recovery from the pandemic, it’s easy for Downtown small businesses to feel abandoned. The Mayor’s new budget highlights the need to proactively invest in a revitalized economic core. We are excited to work with the Mayor and appreciate the efforts of the City and community partners to invest in Downtown’s future.”

“Bringing foot traffic and business to our restaurants and small businesses in our downtown Economic Core area is critical to the survival and vibrancy of San Francisco,” said Laurie Thomas, executive director of Golden Gate Restaurant Association. “We continue to work hard with our partner organizations, larger employers and the City to help drive customers to these businesses so they can keep their staff employed and help their businesses open. We thank the Mayor and her team for prioritizing these restaurants and businesses in her budget and look forward to a continued partnership. We can do this if we work together.”

“As an employer with a large employee presence, we see the strain that the pandemic has created for our small businesses. We have worked in partnership with the small business community to ensure that as our employees return to the office, we are maximizing their support of surrounding small businesses that depend on them. With investments such as the City Core Recovery efforts that Mayor Breed has proposed the City can scale efforts like what we piloted with Golden Gate Restaurant Association to the benefit of all,” said Rebecca Prozan, Director of West Coast Government Relations and Public Policy at Google .

“Bringing people back to downtown is an important budget priority for our city. San Francisco is famously a city of neighborhoods, but all of us rely on the economic activity of the central business core of the City and its daily commuters and visitors,” said Andrew Robinson, Executive Director of the East Cut Community Benefits District. “The downtown is our economic engine; the small businesses, all the neighborhood corridors, all of the investments we make to keep our neighborhoods thriving rely on the health and vitality of our city’s core. The vitality of downtown is critical to our recovery—it is where people from across the city and region come to work, where tourists first set foot in our city, and where innovation thrives.”

“We’re optimistic about the recovery of downtown San Francisco and the cultural heart of Yerba Buena,” said Yerba Buena Community Benefit District Executive Director Cathy Maupin. “The clear uptick in tourism, conventions and hotel occupancy is bringing more and more people to the area to patronize small businesses, restaurants and cultural institutions. With the continued support and partnership of Mayor Breed and the City, we’re confident that this momentum and vibrancy will be sustainable.”

“Investing in the Economic Core of our city is essential to our overall recovery strategy,” said Joe D’Alessandro, President and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association. “The return on that investment will ensure that our small businesses can thrive as we once again welcome back business and leisure visitors to downtown and core neighborhoods reliant on tourism. It will also ensure that we can continue to bring back good jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector. Before the pandemic tourism supported more than 86,000 jobs in San Francisco compared to just over 27,000 in 2021.”

“Reimagining Downtown San Francisco is pivotal to the entire City’s vitality and Economic Core in this post-lockdown era. Yes, our world will look different as workers and companies adapt to a new reality. But as always, San Francisco will embrace this and be a catalyst for change with intentional evolution. We’ve always been a city on the cutting edge of progress and the past two years will not undo that forward-thinking precedent. Creating new public spaces, incubating small businesses, and giving arts and culture a new stage will be the backbone of our reimagined economy in Downtown SF,” said Robbie Silver, Executive Director of the Downtown Community Benefit District.

“Small businesses make our merchant corridors the unique and vibrant streets that we all love,” said Rodney Fong, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “This investment from Mayor Breed celebrates those businesses and will help to return San Francisco’s Economic Core to the lively form it once held.”

“Mid-Market has been an abandoned landscape of vacant storefronts, drug dealing, and street crime for the past few years,” said Kash, the owner of Warm Planet Bikes at Market and McAllister. “The improved conditions of having Urban Alchemy on my block has been like night and day. More important, every practitioner I’ve talked to either has a second job or has a plan to transition to a stable career. This forward-thinking attitude is fundamental to the long-term success for the program and for the individuals moving through it and I strongly support that goal.”

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SAN JOSE (BCN/CBS SF) — A new poll suggests strong public support for California’s ambitious high-speed rail project, but the challenges of stretching it to San Jose are daunting.

UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies reported voters in California favor continuing the high-speed rail project by a five-to-three margin. The poll, which examined a range of issues voters want the state to address, was administered online to 8,676 California residents in English and Spanish. The findings are likely subject to a sampling error of approximately plus or minus 2 percent.

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Mark DiCamillo, director of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies poll, told San Jose Spotlight it can’t easily be compared to past surveys about the popularity of the rail project. But he said the results show majority support for the truncated version of the project.

“We’re now in 2022, it’s a long way away, and it’s been 14 years, but voters wanted to go forward even in its kind of abbreviated form,” DiCamillo said.

In 2008, California voters approved bonds to design and build a high-speed rail system that would run from San Diego to Sacramento by 2030. Cost overruns and delays have extended the timeline: the state’s current plan calls for a rail line linking Bakersfield to Merced by 2030, and then the Bay Area by 2033. According to the latest state estimate, finishing the complete route from Los Angeles to San Francisco could take $105 billion.

The high-speed rail line would feed into San Jose through Diridon Station, which is already set to become a major transit hub thanks to the expansion of BART from the north. At a recent VTA board meeting, officials from the California High-Speed ​​Rail Authority said the project will require tunneling through the Pacheco Pass to connect the Central Valley to Gilroy, and then San Jose. A final environmental impact report is going to be received by the authority’s board later this month.

According to a high-speed rail spokesperson, the connection between Silicon Valley and the Central Valley is projected to generate nearly $50 billion in economic output.

“It’s encouraging to know the people of California are excited by the promise of the nation’s first high-speed rail system,” Anthony Lopez, a

spokesperson for the High-Speed ​​Rail Authority, told San Jose Spotlight. “We look forward to moving this project forward and putting high-speed rail into service by the end of the decade.”

Speeding through San Jose

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Local officials and transit advocates are optimistic about the project’s potential impact on San Jose. Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, who chairs VTA’s board, told San Jose Spotlight he believes high-speed rail will transform Diridon into the equivalent of New York’s Grand Central Station on the West Coast.

“You’re going to have BART, light rail, buses and trains coming into that station, and having high-speed rail also come in will bring tens of thousands of riders into downtown San Jose,” Jones said. “The economic benefit of that alone is tremendous.”

Derrick Seaver, President and CEO of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, said he’s not surprised people are supportive of the project, especially given the return of crushing traffic as the pandemic recedes. The Berkeley poll noted four out of 10 respondents are experiencing serious problems due to rising gas prices.

Seaver said there are many upsides to the project for the local economy, although he is concerned about construction.

“The struggle the business community has is all about the mitigation costs–where is the construction going to take place? What is the mitigation going to look like?” Seaver told San Jose Spotlight. “Downtown San Jose has a lot of activity already, with the BART project coming downtown, so this would be another element they would have to work through.”

Jones noted the project will also allow more people to commute to San Jose from the Central Valley, where there are more opportunities for people to find affordable homes. Aside from the challenges of tunneling under the mountains that separate Silicon Valley from the Central Valley, Jones said he’s concerned about how the trains will travel through San Jose.

“That’s a big discussion in terms of grade separation. Do you want a train just going 110 or 125 miles per hour at grade level and crossing major intersections?” Jones said. “Imagine the safety concerns for vehicles and bicycles and pedestrians.”

Monica Mallon, a transit advocate and San Jose Spotlight columnist, believes high-speed rail will be a major improvement over Amtrak, which she said is too slow. She said the greatest obstacle will come down to money.

“The funding has not been what (high speed rail staff) expected it to be,” Mallon told San Jose Spotlight. “I think they expected the private sector to step up a little more and contribute.”

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By Jen Mistrot and Elizabeth Cook

BRENTWOOD (CBS SF) — Sisters can be the best of friends, and Afshan and Uzma Rehman are no exception. So when both found themselves living in a new country, they leaned on each other for support.

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But like most all sisters, Afshan and Uzma have also experienced their fair share of sibling rivalry.

“We fight a lot,” said Afshan with a smile. “We argue a lot. Like, we literally had an argument this morning.”

But the two admit they have never stayed mad for long.

“We were always there to give each other that positivity,” explained Uzma. “To tell each other ‘Okay, you can do this!’.”

Encouragement of each other has seen Afshan and Uzma through some very tough times. The 29-year-old identical twins were born in the United States. They traveled between California and their parents’ native Pakistan before moving to the Middle East in grade school.

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But by the time Afshan and Uzma were teenagers, their father’s violent behavior made home unsafe for the twins and their siblings. So their mom made the difficult decision to bring her family back to the US, where she would raise her children as a single parent.

“For her it was a very tough decision,” recalled Uzma. “It was a very tough decision because it was the four of us being very young.”

“Not having a dad there your whole life,” said Afshan. “Even though he was there in the picture but he never gave us that support.”

Missing their father hurt, but the move was their first hurdle. School came next.

“The way you grow up in Pakistan is very different than here,” explained Afshan. “When you come here as a teenager in your teenage years, you don’t know that teenage life. You don’t know how they are going to treat you.”

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“You get looked down upon,” said Uzma.

“You’re not able to do anything. Oh there was racism. There was like, ‘Go back to your country.’”

But the twins’ country is the United States and California is their home. Both excellent during high school in Brentwood, then graduated from college before launching careers in high tech.

And there have been other great accomplishments and life changes for both women.

During the pandemic, Afshan had a baby and tackled a master’s degree.

“Hectic but I made it out,” said Afshan of the experience.

Uzma kept busy with volunteer tutoring while raising her four year old son.

“I teach him where we come from,” said Uzma of her son. “I teach him where I grew up, how I grew up.”

Both stayed close to each other, offering love, support and friendship.

“We were always there,” said Uzma. “To give each other that positivity.”

The twin sisters want their children to be good friends too. So the pair also stay close to their mom, even when they don’t see eye to eye.

“If me and [Uzma] are fighting my mom does not intervene,” said Afshan with a laugh.

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“She is like, it’s like going to work it out.”

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