Scholarship Fund Nets $5,000 at PR Round Table Annual Fundraiser
“What? No weapons? No hatchets?”
Such was the surprise expressed by Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, political columnist with the San Francisco Examiner, on finding himself addressing an audience of public relations practitioners at the PR Round Table annual fundraiser on February 14, held at the top of the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Rodriguez, who also covers transportation at the Examiner, offered his take on the shenanigans currently under way at City Hall, including payoffs, subpoenas and other aspects of the blood sport that is San Francisco politics. “The Public Works Director scandal touches every sector of the city,” he said.
San Francisco is “a gauntlet in which politicians are made,” noted Rodriguez. “Pelosi, Feinstein, Harris, Newsom – they all came up through the ranks of San Francisco.” How the current state of affairs will affect Mayor London Breed’s ascension remains to be seen.
The San Francisco Examiner is a small outlet with four reporters. “No other news organization has the hyper focus on San Francisco that we do,” he said. “I grew up here and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He also commented that local, community news outlets serve a vital function in fostering connections for their readers by informing residents of community services and other information essential to their lives.
Red was the color of choice in the décor and the dress at the Valentine’s Day event. Even our speaker sported hair dyed a bright red! Guests mingled as they bid on silent auction items, including tickets to several local theaters, restaurant gift certificates, wine tastings and — perhaps most coveted of all — spots at a member’s rooftop Blue Angels private viewing party during Fleet Week. San Francisco drag personality Donna Sachet delivered her usual banter as emcee for the live auction, which included stays at a Pajaro Dunes condo and a beach house in Pacific Grove. In total, the silent and live auctions garnered around $5,000 for the PR Round Table’s Philip N. McCombs scholarship fund, which supports college students majoring in public relations and communications.
Special thanks goes to the Rock Wall Wine Company in Alameda for their generous donation of wine for the Valentine’s event, and to our event sponsors: Landis Communications and Patricia L. Harden, both Platinum-level supporters; John McDowell, Jan Potts and Molly Walker, all Bronze-Level supporters; and supporters Hatti Hamlin and Paula Reinman.
By Phyllis Goodman
You can follow Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez on twitter at @FitzTheReporter.
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Photos courtesy of Kingmond Young: