Newsom Cans Film Commission Head
By JESSICA GREENE
Updated 8:45 AM PST, Wed, Nov 25, 2009
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office is getting slimmer again.
But this time, it's not a personal choice, as it was for press secretary Nathan Ballard and other staffers. Instead, Newsom did something he's not known for doing -- firing an employee.
Newsom pulled a blindside and asked the City's executive of the Film Commission, Stephanie Coyote, for her resignation.
The Chronicle's Matier and Ross found out that the resignation was a surprise to Coyote, wife of actor Peter Coyote. She will leave behind a $132,000 a year position.
City Hall sources say the mayor felt Coyote could have been doing more to lure filmmakers to the city. They also cite Coyote's less-than-PR-conscious ways - as evidenced by the Fox News flap her office generated a couple of years back when it made the Marines jump through hoops to film a recruiting ad in the city.
Perhaps Newsom was a bit peeved at Coyote's husband's support of Newsom's former rival in the run for governor, Attorney General Jerry Brown. But now that Newsom is out of the race, why would he care about that?
First Published: Nov 25, 2009 8:14 AM PST
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