dispatches from the new world of work

I Left My Heart ...

Sunday Noon: On to LA for a Monday speech, but not before thoroughly absorbing the Sunday SF Chronicle. Chron Magazine cover story: "The Women in Charge: San Francisco Leads the Nation with Female Appointees." From the article: "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom [a successful entrepreneur, still in his 30s] says he doesn't try to create history, it just happens when he does what he thinks is right. ... San Francisco, or more correctly, the mayor, has put women in charge of six major public safety departments in the city. There are more women in charge of agencies that deal with life-and-death emergencies here than in any other major metropolitan city in the nation. Terrorism on the waterfront? A woman runs the port. Anthrax in the mail? The medical examiner is a woman. Earthquake-caused fires? The Hetch Hetchy water system fails? Riots in the streets? Women, women, women in charge." Women in SF "life-and-death" agencies are: Fire Chief. Police Chief. Medical Examiner. Port Director. Head of the Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, General Manager of the Public Utilities Commission. By contrast, the Chronicle reports: "Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles, to name a few, have no women heading up high-profile public safety jobs."

Nice!

NB: Newsom reported that at first fellow mayors were incredulous, and claimed they couldn't do such things in their cities; a few months later the same mayors were annoyed that Newsom's moves were putting pressure on them to do the same! (TP: Go Mayor Gavin!)

Tom Peters posted this on 10/26/04.