The initiative, a $33 million bond authorized by school district voters in June of 2018 to convert an abandoned high school campus in Daly City to 100 apartment units for educators, will help the district retain quality employees in a market where median rent prices for one home – $4,150 – have exceeded starting salary rates.

“(Dale) Scott, the school district financial adviser, has spoken with about a dozen districts already that have expressed interest in putting bonds for teacher housing before voters — and not just in pricey locales like the Peninsula,” per the Politico piece. “At a recent California School Boards Association workshop on the topic, Scott asked how many attendees were from beyond the Bay Area, and (Scott) estimates it was one-third to half of the room.”

The story was the result of a communications campaign Fineman PR launched for Dale Scott & Company when Bond Buyer named the housing measure the winner of its Small Issuer Deal of the Year November 2018. In doing so, the measure was placed among six finalists for the Deal of the Year award.

The awards are given each year by the publication to acknowledge innovations in municipal finance benefitting public projects. Previous winners recognized Kaiser Permanente and the San Diego Unified School District for record breaking sales and transactions that prompted industry change.

In all, the campaign promoting the November 2018 nomination generated about 35 million unique impressions for Dale Scott & Company in just under two weeks. Fineman PR provided strategic counsel focused on capturing momentum from the Bond Buyer announcement for a public relations campaign. Efforts aimed at connecting with contacts familiar with the company and reporters focused on local and regional housing issues.

Within days of outreach, Fineman PR played an instrumental role in a 1,000-word feature about the housing measure on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News.  

The piece was critical in securing coverage in Politico. It attracted California Editor Kevin Yamamura, who cited the San Jose publication in his interview requests. The editor interviewed contacts from Dale Scott & Company and the Jefferson Union High School District before citing the measure as a possible answer to issues with teacher retention as the lead to a 2,000-word roundup.

 “The key to convincing voters, (Scott) said, is to emphasize how much affordable housing for teachers can affect the community by retaining good teachers and staff,” per the piece. “High housing prices force many educators to communities far beyond the expensive enclaves, and it’s only a matter of time before long commutes prompt them to seek work elsewhere.”

To support comprehensive outreach campaigns, Fineman PR provides expertise in strategic planning, content development, media relations and training.

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Winery Known as Santa Barbara Region’s Earliest Syrah Producer

Commercial real estate icon John Cushman today announced that his Zaca Mesa winery, vineyard and surrounding ranch are for sale. The longtime owner of one of Santa Barbara’s most magnificent, largely undeveloped properties, consisting of 750 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley, seeks the next steward for the land and the historic brand he started more than 40 years ago.

Cushman purchased the ranch with a group of friends in 1972. The first vineyards were planted in 1973, and the pioneering winery was built in 1978 and later expanded. That year, Zaca Mesa also planted the first Syrah in Santa Barbara County. Zaca Mesa holds one of the oldest winery permits in the region and has been solely owned by the Cushman family for more than 25 years, including an ownership stake by John Cushman’s twin brother, Lou Cushman, Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield in Houston.

In the early 1990’s, it was determined that Rhône varietals were best suited to the property. In addition to Syrah, other estate varietals planted on the ranch include Grenache, Roussanne, Mourvedre and Viognier. The property’s flagship vineyard block, Black Bear Syrah, sells out every year and retails for more than $65 per bottle.

Cushman recently divested his remaining interest in Cushman & Wakefield, the real estate firm founded by his grandfather and where he had previously served as chairman. However, when the company merged with DTZ, his professional responsibilities increased even further. His global role with the new Cushman & Wakefield keeps him traveling close to 8,000 miles weekly, and he’s been named chairman of Cushman & Wakefield’s 100th year commemoration. This is in addition to many personal business interests and positions as an active board member, director or trustee of Callaway Golf, Boy Scouts of America, National Park Foundation, Urban Land Institute, Colgate University and Claremont Graduate University.

“My commercial real estate interests dictate that I can no longer devote the time and energy to the proper oversight of Zaca Mesa,” said Cushman. “After 40-plus years as the steward of this property and the Zaca Mesa brand, I am ready to pass it on to a new steward who can take it to new levels of success and preserve its unspoiled beauty.”

According to Cushman, there is no current residence on the property, but all three parcels that make up the picturesque ranch are zoned to accommodate residential development. Nearby estates are valued in the seven figures.

Assets of the ranch include a nearly 24,000 square foot barn-style winery production facility and tasting room, and approximately 150 acres of estate vineyards. Although the winery is currently producing just more than 40,000 cases annually, WineryX’s Katie Somple, the property’s listing broker, states that both the winery and vineyards are scalable for larger production.

“The winery’s permit allows for up to 100,000 cases to be produced,” said Somple, “and the vineyard is expandable by more than 100 acres, with ample water on the property to support additional vines.”

Interested buyers may contact listing agent Katie Somple at WineryX for more information at (707) 235-8585.

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Well, here at Fineman PR, we’ve been working for the last few months with an incredible group of people who are determined to do what the rest of us might think impossible, and in the process turn our discouragement into optimism.

Meet Agnieszka Winkler, David Grusky and the more than 20 other academics, practitioners and foundation heads from the U.S. and Mexico who will come together for the Mazatlán Forum 2015. For two days they will discuss radical yet practical ways to eradicate poverty once and for all.

Yes, that’s right. These people want to eliminate poverty. Period.

In developing Mazatlán Forum press releases and pitches for the U.S., Hispanic and Mexican markets, I encountered some push-back. After all, the goal seems utopian. Yet, while the objective is undeniably enormous, if you abandon for a moment any jaded assumptions about poverty, you’ll be able to see the issue from their perspective.

First, poverty is a human phenomenon, not an immutable force of nature, so if society has created it, it is within the power of human ingenuity to transform it.

Second, for the most part, we still address poverty from a 1960s “War on Poverty” perspective. However, much has been understood about poverty in the half century since then, so it is time to step back and re-examine the assumptions that led to the War on Poverty’s failure to bring about poverty’s demise.

Third, most anti-poverty efforts are designed only to alleviate local situations or to target just one aspect of a poor population’s life. The shortcoming of such approaches should be evident.

The alternative is to design plans that, while responding to local needs, are linked to regional and global strategies that will ultimately eradicate poverty once and for all, worldwide.

Finally, poverty doesn’t affect only the poor; it is a moral, social and economic problem that affects every one of us. Simply put, poverty is unacceptable and very bad business. We must stop tolerating it and treating it as inevitable. It will do us all good.

From the airplane that is taking me to Mazatlán at this very moment, I invite you to cheer for this amazing group of people – warriors, not utopians – and follow the Forum on Twitter using #MazatlanForum2015.

For my part, I’ve left my former discouragement on the ground behind me and have my hopes high – right up here with me at 35,000 feet!

Learn more about Mazatlán Forum here.

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Do Decant.

In the midst of a glorious early morning wine tasting at Hanzell Vineyards, the clouds began to part, the view from the hill was a majestic and piercing shade of lime, and all was good with life. Especially the wine.Bob Sessions, winemaker, impressed upon us the importance of decanting fine wine. As my colleagues and I mulled this over, we joked that we should decant more often. And in more than one way. Life is busy, online work is fast-paced, it’s hard to steal a moment for contemplative thought. And so we collectively joked, “Please don’t bother me, I’m decanting.” Taking the time to process, mull, reflect and taste is critical to good communications work. Being responsive is important, but only a substantive response has legs.

Control Freaks Make Great Things.

Both in wine and in words, attention to detail is everything.  Good PR professionals have many things in common, and chief among them is a big dedication to the little things. Understanding social nuances, crossing your t’s and dotting your I’s, remembering personal details that make your correspondence meaningful and unique, getting your facts right. Embrace your inner control freak.

The Web is Like a Bad Tattoo.

Unlike a fine wine, bad buzz posted today will still look old and wrinkled years from now. As Reputation.comco-founder Owen Tripp, eloquently shared, social media and crisis are inextricably linked. Once you or your client make a mistake, or receive a nasty review online, there’s going to be some untangling to do. You are far better off avoiding the mistake and working to prevent negative experiences with your client or brand in the first place, then trying to unknot an ugly mess.

What Would Be on James Bond’s Facebook Page?

Some parts of our identities should remain sacred. The same goes for companies and brands. Manage your brand/client’s reputation online as you would a global security secret. With room for transparency and personality. At the same time, trust your audience and empower them. As Jay from Wikimedia Foundation shared, “Online communities possess extraordinary power. Earning the trust of your community is critical. If your community is not empowered- then you are robbing them of their power.”

Minimize Risk.

As more companies divide communications responsibilities across varying vendor partners (digital media/strategy, social media campaigns, advertising, corporate communications, etc.) the higher the risk is of having these varying groups stray from a unified strategy or message. The need for a single, compelling brand voice is clear now, more than ever. PR, in its ability to earn trust, build relationships, clarify the facts and influence the conversation and overall landscape, makes a compelling case as keeper of the brand voice and champion of the brand promise.

P.S. The Sonoma International Film Festival experience also brought forth gems:  1) Screening “Something Ventured,” a clever documentary that entertainingly profiled the rise of the venture capitalist amidst the 1960s South Bay tech industry explosion. 2) Bumping into Dame Shirley Bassey, renowned vocalist and the voice behind many James Bond film tracks, including Goldfinger in our hotel lobby. She was at the Festival accompanied by the crew behind “Sir Billi,” the first full length animated feature ever produced exclusively in Scotland. Sir Sean Connery is the film’s executive producer.

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To me, Claire was a superhero. Superheroes don’t die, but she did, and I remain, almost a month later, in a state of semi-shock.

So much of the time I spend in life is related to my business. I am passionate about my work and about the value of public relations. Without a doubt, I was born for this life and purpose, but it was Claire who gave me my first real opportunity to demonstrate my talents, and it was Claire who taught me the rules, procedures and protocols, the psychology and the language of my chosen career in public relations.
Claire believed in me and gave me room to grow and make mistakes.

Claire mentored without hovering or nervously micromanaging. Neither did she sit down with me every afternoon to teach me my ABCs. She worked, set an example of confidence and calm, and I watched, closely. She edited my materials at times, and I learned from every new or deleted word and comma. She made some courageous decisions in her business and with clients, and I was there to witness and learn. She wore her dignity, knowledge and confidence like a cape. Claire won respect, she won clients, and she was successful; I was a sponge.

With a mix of intelligence, beauty and elegance – elements I couldn’t necessarily copy – she held court among strong-willed, successful businessmen as a forceful, dynamic and intuitive woman executive, easily equal in power to her client counterparts and possessing valuable expertise and instincts they did not have but readily recognized and appreciated.

She stood her ground in terms of compensation and profitability. She was my professional beacon of light, and I owe her a debt of gratitude for the incredibly stimulating career I have had, and the experience to overcome the challenges, too, that I have had to face for my own business to survive. Claire is my lineage in public relations, and it is one of my fervent wishes that I am able to pass on her valuable and inspiring teachings and earn the same respect of those who I have touched in the same way.

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