Supervisor Calls For Removal Of Zuckerberg's Name From SF General Hospital
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Amid numerous scandals surrounding Facebook, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is calling for the removal of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's name from the city's general hospital.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin announced at Tuesday's meeting that he has asked city attorney Dennis Herrera to ask how Zuckerberg's name could be removed, along with reviewing the city's policy on naming rights in exchange for gifts.
In 2015, the hospital was renamed after Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, donated $75 million.
"It is not normal for Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to refuse to accept responsibility and to publicly distance themselves from acts that they personally instigated. In fact, I think it is abhorrent," Peskin told the board. "And it cannot be normal for this City to put a price tag on the branding of institutions and spaces that fundamentally belong to the citizens of this City."
• Watch The Board Meeting (Peskin Comments At 4:45:30)
Peskin also contended that city residents have funded far more than Zuckerberg to support the hospital, including a $900 million bond passed by voters in 2008, but were not given any input on naming rights.
From the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to recent reports revealing that it hired a PR firm to attack its critics, the Menlo Park-based social media giant has faced intense scrutiny in recent months.
Earlier this year, nurses at San Francisco General made similar calls to remove Zuckerberg's name from the institution.
"People are afraid. I've spoken with people who have said, 'I'm afraid to tell my doctor anything, because I don't know who is going to get that information,'" nurse Sasha Cuttler told KPIX 5 in May.
