Opinion

OP-ED: The San Francisco Foundation: Our Work Continues

Published

12 years ago

July 23, 2013

David Glover and OCCUR’s reputation as a champion for low-income residents and neighborhood revitalization in Oakland made him and his staff natural partners for building a program with The San Francisco Foundation to bring resources to faith organizations that have served those most in need at the heart of their mission.

< p>< p>Congregations and faith-based organizations are among the most trusted and deeply rooted institutions in low-income neighborhoods. These organizations bring leadership, resources, and volunteers to the task of providing food, clothing, and shelter to families in need, while advocating for policies that bring resources to neighborhoods that have suffered disinvestment over decades.

The San Francisco Foundation recognized that unique role, and built the FAITHS Program nearly 20 years ago to support faith organizations providing community service and advocating for economic equity and opportunity in the region.

David Glover

In 2007, the FAITHS Program reached out to David, a long-time ally, partner and executive director of OCCUR, to respond to the growing need for support among congregations and faith-based organizations. These organizations were overwhelmed with the demand for services and programs to address increased hunger, joblessness, and the lack of affordable housing in neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area.

David’s reputation and OCCUR’s deep history in Oakland made them an ideal partner to lift up these organizations and the communities they serve through the “Model Built on Faith.”

Now in its sixth year, the program has trained more than 650 faith and community leaders through free workshops and one-on-one technical assistance provided by seasoned nonprofit leaders and consultants. Carmen Bogan, lead consultant for the “Model Built on Faith” program, and OCCUR staff organize trainings to address the fierce competition for resources by developing collaborations and creative approaches that are sustainable during challenging economic times.

After the recent passing of David, staff at The San Francisco Foundation reflected on the special partnership forged over recent years and reiterated their ongoing support for OCCUR’s work in the community.

“We mourn the recent passing of our friend and colleague David Glover. His vision, intellect, and skill were critical to the creation of dynamic community partnerships that have made Oakland, and indeed the entire Bay Area, more inclusive and just for all who call the region home,” said FAITHS Program and Civic Engagement Officer Tessa Rouverol Callejo.

“The partnership we began years ago, grounded in David’s vision, will continue on under the skilled leadership of OCCUR’s staff. We look forward to continuing our work together to strengthen faith community leadership and to advance the work of economic justice and equity in the region.”

James Head is the Vice President of Programs at The San Francisco Foundation.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

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December 25, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY: When Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Tells the Truth

Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, the most prominent woman in the Trump administration, recently gave a candid, tape-recorded, on-the-record interview. The two-part story that resulted from that interview was published this week in Vanity Fair.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

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By Emil Guillermo

Politicians lie.

So, when they tell the truth — or as it’s often described, say “the quiet parts out loud,” it’s big news.

Wiles describes Trump as someone with “an alcoholic’s personality.”

That description of the president’s personality explains a lot about why things feel upside down. National guard troops sent into Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and other major cities; the demolition of the East Wing; the bombing of Venezuelan drug boats without an act of war from Congress; the green light to Elon Musk to almost single-handedly dismantle USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) — the agency that was responsible for saving lives fighting AIDS in Africa.

If you have questions about any or all of the administration’s actions and haven’t heard the president address them — add to that the affordability of everything and the failure to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

It’s refreshing to hear the truth from Wiles.

The man I call CFDT34 (Convicted Felon Donald Trump, 34 counts) has no business being president.

I don’t even want to get into what Wiles thinks of Vice President JD Vance, whom Wiles thinks converted from being a Never Trumper to a born-again MAGA type for purely “political” reasons.

It all makes Vance more dangerous than Trump. He’s less principled and doesn’t have an alcoholic’s personality.

My favorite line of the story is how Wiles describes Trump being impressed that she is the daughter of Pat Summerall, the former New York Giants football player, and former NFL announcer (for a time with John Madden).

Summerall was an alcoholic, which is maybe why Wiles was so insightful on Trump.

According to Wiles, Trump said, “I judge people by their genes.”

Of all the gossipy insight, that line attributed to Trump by Wiles got me.

You got good genes? That’s how Trump judges you.

That is revealing.

The White House can’t say Wiles was lying or taken out of context. The interviews are all on tape.

Wiles isn’t denying anything. And Trump seems to respond to it the way he responds to anything he doesn’t want to get pinned down. According to the New York Post, “he hasn’t read it (the Vanity Fair piece).”

Of course, he doesn’t even read an intelligence briefing.

This is cause for concern. Read the Vanity Fair article yourself. It is a rare example of a politician telling the truth.

Wiles telling the truth explains a lot. We don’t have Trump Derangement Syndrome, after all.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and stage monologist. See him on www.amok.com; email: emilamok@gmail.com; Or see him on YouTube@emilamok1