On Tuesday, the California Academy of Sciences announced an impending wave of layoffs.
In a news release shared with SFGATE, Executive Director Scott D. Sampson said 53 staff members would be affected by the cuts, accounting for 9.3% of the team. “Those affected include management as well as union-represented and non-union staff,” Sampson said.
Thirty-two other employees – or 5.6% of the staff – are being reassigned or having their hours cut. “Reducing staff is always a last resort,” Sampson said. “Our dedicated staff members are the lifeblood of the Academy and are instrumental in propelling our mission forward.”
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The academy cited a number of contributing factors leading to the cuts. Exhibits that are expensive to maintain, lower tourism numbers and loss of federal funding are all among the reasons listed. Last year, the institution incurred a $7.3 million cash deficit; this year, it expects the deficit to exceed $8 million.
The academy’s struggles mirror those of many other San Francisco cultural institutions. In March, after a lengthy closure, the Contemporary Jewish Museum announced it would be selling its downtown home. The previous year, another downtown museum – the California Historical Society – also shared that it would be closing its doors.
Visitors explore the living dome exhibit inside the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. (Getty Images)
Sampson expressed hopes that the cuts would help stabilize the organization’s finances and allow it to continue “meaningful scientific research, learning experiences, and community engagement for generations to come.”
While it’s worth noting that San Francisco’s tourism decline is real, it isn’t as drastic as the layoffs may suggest. The city is still expecting over 24 million visitors this year, down from 26.2 million in 2019, according to SF Travel.
Still, the academy’s financial pressures, including the high-cost of caring for 60,000 live animals and maintaining nearly 46 million scientific specimens, point to burdens visitor numbers alone can’t fix.
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This article originally published at San Francisco institution announces round of layoffs after losing millions.