The two-term San Francisco mayor and longtime California State Assembly speaker, and Nvidia, raised funds for California College of the Arts
Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW
Standing amid the sparkling, revamped environs of California College of the Arts and its 82,300-square-foot campus expansion (designed by architectural firm Studio Gang and unveiled in October), Willie L. Brown, Jr. — the legendary, and longest-serving, Speaker of the California State Assembly — recalled that when he was first elected mayor of San Francisco in 1996, the area where we stood was defined by a vast sea of empty concrete, bracketed by the clickety-clack of the nearby CalTrain tracks.
“The only thing out here then was a Greyhound Bus maintenance yard,” chortled Brown, “Da” city’s former two-term mayor.
Brown’s visionary civic leadership was lauded on May 21 during the annual fundraising celebration for this acclaimed 118-year-old institution (comprising both undergrad and graduate disciplines in art, design, and architecture), as CCA President David Howse and 250 arts supporters exclaimed, “Hail to the Chief!”
Led by cochairs Kimberlee Swig and Stanlee Gatti (both CCA trustees), the delightful fete, emceed by Renel Brooks-Moon, was filled with toasts and roasts, as well as a delectable McCalls Catering and Events menu of Brown favorites (including tins of caviar and ice cream sundaes). And the cherry on top: a whopping $1.1 million raised for CCA student scholarships. That terrific take also established the Willie L. Brown, Jr. scholarship, which will additionally benefit the 78 percent of CCA students who receive financial aid.
“On a visit to the magnificent CCA campus, I realized this corner of the city is an extension of the new Mission Bay neighborhood — and it is absolutely fabulous,” said Brown, who was instrumental in implementing the medical and tech redevelopment of this once barren area. “I am delighted to be the honoree of this institution that clearly reflects the pride that the city and county of San Francisco has for the arts and education. Which is even more remarkable as my talent in the world of art is virtually zero.”
Yet despite this one night of big bucks, the nonprofit college was recently roiled by financial uncertainty. However, at the dawn of 2025, the family foundation of Nvidia cofounder-CEO Jensen Huang — the world’s 16th wealthiest person, depending upon the stock market — and his wife, Lori Huang, rode to the rescue with a $22.5 million infusion, which was matched by CCA heroes. And at long last, after decades of riches reaped by Silicon Valley, a tech titan has finally stepped up to the plate with the largest-ever real-time individual donation to the arts.
Although the Huangs were not in attendance, those among this artful crowd included arts philanthropists and previous CCA honorees Cissie Swig and Lorna Meyer Calas; Mayor Daniel Lurie and first lady Becca Prowda; Paul Pelosi; Giants president and CEO Larry Baer and his wife, Pam; UC Davis chancellor Gary May; Christie’s SVP Sarah Wendell Sherrill and her husband, supervisor Stephen Sherrill; artists Lava Thomas and Woody De Othello; gallerists Cheryl Haines, Wendy Norris, and Jessica Silverman, a devoted CCA alumna.
During his two-term mayoralty, Brown, 91, willed into existence such now-storied institutions as the Giants’ waterfront ballpark and a reborn $100 million de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. He also instituted a smarter staff dress code inside City Hall beneath its glorious Beaux-Arts dome, which Brown dramatically adorned in gold leaf. And beaming in via a video tribute, Governor Gavin Newsom admitted he might not even have a seat in Sacramento if not for Brown appointing him to the city’s Parking and Traffic Commission.
Gatti, who crowned his floral bedecked table designs with signature Willie Brown fedoras, welcomed the always stylish Dede Wilsey (the gala’s major sponsor) to the podium, noting that she and Brown were major civic doers in our community. He also joked that this dynamic duo share another trait: “The amazing fashions in each of their closets could outshine Paris Fashion Week.”
“For more years than I care to count, I’ve watched Willie, wielding his sword, establishing his civic projects with great passion. I learned that if you believe in something enough, you can make it happen,” Wilsey said. “But I also learned, as when I approached Mayor Brown about a bond measure for the de Young’s parking garage, that when he says, ‘I’ll call you on Monday,’ that means you’ll never hear from him. Willie, you are the heart and soul of San Francisco, and I’m very proud to call you a friend.”
May 30, 2025
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