Commonwealth The
August/September 2021 Volume 115, Number 4
EDITOR’S DESK
BUSINESS OFFICES
The Commonwealth, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105 feedback@commonwealthclub.org
VICE PRESIDENT, MEDIA & EDITORIAL
John Zipperer
HEARST EDITORIAL FELLOW
Corey Rose
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Spencer Campbell, Sarah Gonzalez, John Zipperer. ADVERTISING INFORMATION John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, (415) 597-6715, jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org The Commonwealth (ISSN 0010-3349) is published bimonthly (6 times a year) by The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA. Subscription rate $34 per year included in annual membership dues. Copyright © 2021 The Commonwealth Club of California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Commonwealth, The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 597-6700; feedback@commonwealthclub.org EDITORIAL TRANSCRIPT POLICY The Commonwealth magazine covers a range of programs in each issue. Program transcripts and question-and-answer sessions are routinely condensed due to space limitations. Hear full-length recordings online at commonwealthclub. org/watch-listen, or via our free podcasts on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or Spotify; watch videos at youtube.com/ commonwealthclub. Published digitally via Issuu.com.
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4
THE COMMO N WE AL TH
Photo by John Zipperer
While You Weren’t Looking
W
hen we welcomed Club members back to our waterfront headquarters building in June and July, part of the schedule of events took place on our rooftop Kaiser Permanente Terrace. The terrace was also the location of our barbecue feast from Horn Barbecue following the late-June “Black Smoke” program (this issue’s cover story). At the end of July, attendees of a program on QTAPI Pride enjoyed a pre-program rooftop lunch from What the Cluck Chicken and Thai (an admittedly fowl-mouthed name for a restaurant). I’ve always enjoyed bringing members, guests and speakers up to the roof. They almost immediately are drawn to the front of the building, with its wide view of the bay, Bay Bridge, Ferry Building, The Embarcadero and more. Even Olympic athletes and award-winning actors have taken in the view and then quickly pulled out their smartphones to take some selfies of themselves against the bay background. Perhaps best of all, the view is gorgeous during the day and during the evening, when the bridge is all lit up. Soon you’ll be able to appreciate looking at some sculptures on the terrace; it’s part of a sculpture exhibit (our first!) in collaboration with the Pacific Rim Sculptors. Whatever draws you to the building these days, I do suggest trying to make the rooftop part of your visit. The terrace is a nice place to relax, have a conversation, enjoy the bay view or turn the other direction and enjoy the city view—and don’t pass that up. Our terrace was designed to feature a vibrant garden, and during the past year, it has really blossomed into a stunning oasis amid the big city. Carefully tended by Alex Hernandez, our vice president of facilities and private events, the plants are bigger and more beautiful than when you last saw them. The plant life on the roof have used these past 15–16 months to make themselves—and the rooftop garden—even more wonderful. JO H N Z IPPER ER VI C E PRESI DENT O F MEDI A & ED I T O RI AL
