Benicia resident Peter Bray gained some notoriety after one of his songs, “Laid Off American Man,” was mentioned in a column by Herb Caen. Bray wrote the song in 1994 after Bechtel fired him.

BENICIA >> It's been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It brought him fame.

Yes, the longtime Benician wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. The title was “Dismissed American Man.” He sent a cassette copy to legendary San Francisco Chronicle gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the lyrics and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful handyman and Benicia poetry group regular.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he received a postcard from noted upstate New York folk singer Pete Seeger that said, “I just read Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song?” I thought, “How cool!” “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger requesting a second copy.

“I thought, 'Okay, he liked it, he'll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it and I'll be home free!' I'm rich and fat and famous!” “

Unfortunately, “it didn’t happen,” Bray chuckled. “It’s a great thing, but I fix toilets.”

Bray, 71, still loves poetry and songwriting. He's been at it for more than 40 years, filling pieces of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that piqued his interest. He still performs at open mics where he uses humor to connect with listeners.

“If you can get the whole room to shut up and become quiet because you really speak in a low voice and bring it up, you can get the whole crowd of 30 people to move with you,” Bray said. who has self-published three volumes of poetry since 1972. “And then when you add something funny and make the same 30 people laugh, that’s just a kick in the butt!”

A native of Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing rockets, before setting up his own business as a design engineer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he worked as a graphics manager. After 10 years, he was laid off as part of a major downsizing.

“So I wrote ‘Laid Off American Man,’” said Bray, who has been writing poetry since the early ’70s. The song begins like this: “I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, I do everything I can, I'm a laid off American man!”

“I had a cassette, I had a cover and I sent it to Herb Caen,” Bray said. “And about a week later, I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ He said, ‘PR is on alert.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about ?” He said, “You didn't see Herb Caen this morning? You'd better.” So I went to Raley, got the Chronicle, opened it up and he typed up all my texts.”

The final verses read: “I was vice president in charge of BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch and a company loan, I was vice president in charge of BD.” Now I'm a gardener in the promised land, all my tools are in a one man van, now I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, do everything I can, I'm a laid off American!”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Weeping at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours after his daughter's death from Crohn's disease in February 2012. It begins: “After house coffee and apple sales and ten thousand words of condolence via email, cell phone.”, cards and letters, it runs to that “Crying at Starbucks while the quiet chatter and overheard music compete.”

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic for me and entertaining,” Bray said. “And maybe…it’ll be helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

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FOSTER CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bailard announced today that it has been ranked in the San Francisco Business Times’ 2022 Top 100 Bay Area Corporate Philanthropists List. The Corporate Philanthropy program celebrates the Bay Area’s most generous corporate citizens and recognizes those companies that also give their time, talent, and resources to their community.

Bailard’s ranking among the top corporate philanthropists—joining firms like Google and Genentech—is yet another proof point for the firm’s robust approach to corporate governance and responsibility. Bailard is values-driven, and fiercely committed to its core tenets of accountability, compassion, courage, excellence, fairness, and independence. These values ​​relate not only to client service but also to the firm’s fundamental business practices, employee experience, and its commitment to the community.

“Bailard’s generosity helps to raise the bar on corporate philanthropy and inspires more giving,” said Mary Huss, Publisher of the San Francisco Business Times. “Their participation in this program helps challenge others to do more.”

The annual list from the San Francisco Business Times recognizes the 100 top corporate philanthropists ranked by local cash giving. It includes for-profit companies and nonprofit health care organizations that made contributions to Bay Area-based charitable organizations in the following counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

“In my role, I am consistently in awe of our team’s commitment to supporting our community, and their ability to find ways to give back to those in need,” said Chief Executive Officer, Sonya Mughal, CFA. “In addition to monetary contributions, our team also has a passion for volunteering as well as supporting our clients’ philanthropic goals.”

This recognition builds on the firm’s commitment to the Bailard Foundation, which recently released its annual update reporting on the Foundation’s service to Bailard’s community and its values.

About Bailard, Inc.

Founded in 1969, Bailard is an independent asset and wealth management firm serving individuals, families, and institutions alike. Bailard has built a long‐term asset management track record across domestic and international equities, fixed income, and private real estate, as well as robust, in‐house ESG expertise. Through it all—and in line with its core principles and strong ESG mindset—Bailard works with clients to align their financial goals with their values. With $5.0 billion in assets under management as of 6/30/2022, Bailard is a majority employee-owned and women-led firm, and a Principles of Responsible Investing (PRI) signatory. A values‐driven firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bailard has its own private charitable foundation and is deeply committed to its core values ​​of accountability, compassion, courage, excellence, fairness, and independence.

ABOUT THE CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY AWARDS:

For 22 years the San Francisco Business Times has published the Corporate Philanthropists List. The list features 100 top corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area ranked by local cash giving. Each year the list is unveiled at the San Francisco Business Times’ Corporate Philanthropy Awards event. The Corporate Philanthropy Awards program was founded in partnership with Northern California Grantmakers. A portion of the proceeds goes to NCG to fund the Corporate Philanthropy Institute, with the mission to educate more companies about effective giving and best philanthropy practices. The aim is to honor those who give the most and in doing so to help raise the bar and inspire more giving. This achievement does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of Bailard’s future performance. All for-profit companies – whether public or private – along with nonprofit health care organizations were eligible. Companies were required to provide a detailed breakdown of philanthropic contributions. This list ranks companies by dollar value of cash contributions made to Bay Area-based charities in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. 100 firms appeared in the San Francisco Business Times list. Bailard ranked #82. There was no fee to enter. See the ranking list here.

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PALO ALTO, Calif., March 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that Colin Conklin has joined the firm’s corporate practice as a partner in the san francisco office. His addition bolsters Wilson Sonsini’s private and public company and transactional experience.

Conklin’s practice focuses on late-stage private company representation, capital transactions, and public company representation for companies in the technology and life sciences sectors.

“Innovative private and public companies in technology and life sciences sectors need sophisticated legal advice to help them manage unique challenges,” said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini. “The transactional experience and skills that Colin has amassed during his career are exactly what growing and established clients value, and we’re pleased to welcome Colin to what is already a formidable private and public company team.”

Wilson Sonsini has more than 300 public company clients and a sterling reputation as an advisor to corporations, boards of directors, and board committees. The firm’s attorneys advise on core corporate and securities law matters, including reporting and disclosure requirements (SEC, NYSE, and NASDAQ), audit and compensation committee matters, and compliance with corporate governance statutes, including Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and Delaware General Corporate Law. The firm also represents public companies in regulatory and litigation matters, as well as internal and board investigations. Since 2003, directors of publicly traded US corporations have consistently ranked Wilson Sonsini among the nation’s top law firms, according to the annual survey conducted by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting.

Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Conklin worked as a partner in the san francisco office of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP. He joined Gunderson as an associate in 2016 and became partner in Jan 2021. His prior experience also includes working as a corporate and securities associate in the Palo Alto office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

“I am excited to join Wilson Sonsini, with its established brand of building and advising successful companies, including scores of clients that became public companies in prominent transactions,” said Conklin. “Wilson Sonsini has such an impressive and diverse range of interesting and innovative clients in the Bay Area and nationally. I look forward to working with the talented team in san francisco and collaborating with colleagues across the firm.”

Conklin earned his JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2012, and received his BA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is admitted to practice in California.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has offices in austin; Beijing; Boston; boulders; Brussels; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; new York; Palo Alto; Salt Lake City; San Diego; san francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C; other Wilmington, DE. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

SOURCE Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

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A partnership made possible by a $ 1 million company contribution to enable the construction of new accessory housing units has been enthusiastically received by officials from South San Francisco.

The South San Francisco City Council on Wednesday, April 28, unanimously approved a proposal to spend the $ 1 million Genentech paid to Hello Housing to expand access to the units.

The payment from Genentech is part of $ 30 million in commercial connectivity fees, in part to allay concerns that the biotech titan’s plan to expand its campus will drive up the cost of living.

Vice Mayor Mark Nagales praised the contribution and the resulting partnership with Hello Housing as evidence of Genentech’s commitment to being a good neighbor.

“When they are here, they have people interested in living here and they need to be part of the solution to provide the lack of medium and affordable housing,” he said.

In particular, Councilor Flor Nicholas expressed her appreciation for the service offered by Hello Housing.

“It’s a really good program,” she said.

Councilor Eddie Flores agreed

“I think this is a really great initiative and I’m really excited about it,” he said.

Hello Housing will effectively act as a project manager for single family home owners in South San Francisco interested in building an additional housing unit on their property.

The company will determine if prospective applicants are allowed to demonstrate design options, walk them through the permit process, introduce them to builders, oversee construction, provide training services to landlords, and more.

The program is designed to serve single family homeowners in South San Francisco who have the real estate available to build and the resources to fund the project.

Landowners with more than one rental property are excluded from participation as they are designed to provide targeted support to those who are not familiar with the concept.

But those who live in the single family home where an ADU is being considered, or small independent landlords with another rental property, are encouraged to participate.

Participants must first agree to rent the new unit, although there are no restrictions on the tenants, who can be friends, family, or co-workers. And the landlord could choose to live in the new unit and also list the main apartment for rent.

The new unit may not be listed as a short term rental or sold separately from the main residence. And if a junior unit is built under the program, the property must be inhabited by the owner.

An additional residential unit is usually a free-standing unit with a bathroom, kitchen and independent entrance that shares a plot of land with the main residence. A junior accessory unit is usually smaller, with no bathroom and an independent entrance attached to the main apartment.

According to Hello Housing, building the units may reduce displacements from rising cost of living by helping meet demand for housing in South San Francisco. In addition, the units can help families grow together on the same property or provide an independent, safe way of life for an aging relative.

The program could allow 30 to 40 additional housing units to be built in the first year, with plans to build on the success in the years to come.

“I think it just has a lot of advantages,” said Mayor Mark Addiego.

In other business areas, council members unanimously approved the establishment of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center at 366 Grand Ave. at the former US Bank location in the city center.

South San Francisco plans to spend up to $ 2 million on the program, and district officials have offered an initial investment of $ 200,000. The money will be used to set up a new center where small business owners, and eventually local residents, can receive financial assistance, professional training and other support for economic development.

The currently vacant 6,903 square meters will be rented to the city for a period of three years at a price of around $ 144,000 per year, although the landlord offers a certain share of the costs for improvements and maintenance.

The center is expected to open in October.

Addiego praised the vision of the proposal to help South San Francisco and surrounding communities recover from the pandemic.

“Of everything we’re working on, this one gives me the greatest hope that we can change life in the long term, and that’s exciting,” he said.

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BENICIA >> It has been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It earned him a brush of fame.

Yes, longtime Benizier wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. It was titled “Laid Off American Man”. He sent a tape copy to the San Francisco Chronicle’s legendary gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the texts and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful craftsman and regular with the Benicia poetry group.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he had received a postcard from popular New York state folk singer Pete Seeger and said, “I was just reading Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song? “I thought,” How cool! “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger asking for a second copy.

“I thought,” OK, he liked it, he’ll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it, and I’m home free! I am rich and fat and famous! “”

Unfortunately, “It didn’t happen,” chuckled Bray. “It’s great fun, but I fix toilets.”

71-year-old Bray still enjoys poetry and songwriting. He’s been around for more than 40 years, filling scraps of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that caught his interest. He still performs with open microphones, where he interacts with the audience with humor.

“If you can silence the whole room and get quiet by speaking really softly and bringing it up, you can get the whole collection of 30 people to move with you,” said Bray. Who has published three volumes of poetry since 1972? “And if you slide something funny into it and make the same 30 people laugh, it’s just a kick in the butt!”

Originally from Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing missiles, before becoming a freelance designer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he was a graphics manager. After 10 years he was fired during a major downscaling.

“So I wrote Laid Off American Man,” said Bray, who has been into poetry since the early 1970s. The song starts like this: “I make windows, I make floors, I make hallways, I make doors, I do everything I can, I” Ma Laid Off American Man! ”

“I had a tape, I had a cover, and I sent it to Herb Caen,” said Bray. “And about a week later I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said,” Hey, how are you? “He said, ‘PR is on the alert.” I said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “You didn’t see Herb Caen this morning? You’d better. “So I went to Raley and got the chronicle, opened it and he put all of my lyrics in.”

The final verses read, “I was vice president for BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch, and a company loan. I was vice president for BD. Now I’m a gardener in the promised land, all of my tools are in a one man van, now I make windows, I make floors, I make hallways, I make doors, do everything I can, I’m Laid Off American Man! ”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Crying at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours following his daughter’s death from Crohn’s disease in February 2012. It begins: “After selling coffee and apples in the house and sending ten thousand condolences through email, cell phone, cards, and letters, it It all comes down to crying over Starbucks while the quiet chatter and the overheard music compete with each other. “

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic to me and it’s entertaining itself,” said Bray. “And maybe … it’s helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

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