Agreements to be signed at the Italian Consulate on Oct. 25, 11:00, in the presence of Naples’ Mayor de Magistris, Senator Leno, Assemblyman Ammiano and SF HRC leaders
(San Francisco, CA) Agreements to create new cooperation programs between Neapolitan and San Franciscan organizations in the field of technology and science will be signed at the Italian General Consulate at 11.00 on Friday Oct. 25, in the presence of Naples’ Mayor Luigi de Magistris (profile below). Californian and SF City human-rights leaders will also attend to announce joint activites in the field of human rights and equal opportunities, which include negotiations for a pact between the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the Naples Department of Equal Opportunities. The meeting will be convened a few hours before the joint performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem by SF Opera and Naples’ Teatro San Carlo at the War Memorial Opera House, the flagship event of the Year of Italian Culture in the US.
- SF Human-Rights Commissioner Michael Sweet, SF HRC Director Theresa Sparks and Mayor Luigi de Magistris will announce their plan to negotiate a framework agreement for for the promotion of human rights between San Francisco and Naples. California Senator Mark Leno and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano will share their commitment to promote cooperation with Naples and Italy on the promotion and protection of human rights.
- the Mind the Bridge Foundation, Campania Felix and Skillpoint Association will sign an Agreement to promote innovative entrepreneurship in Naples by financing fellowships to young Neapolitan entrepreneurs to study at the Mind the Bridge Startup School in San Francisco.
- University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the University “Federico II” of Naples (UNINA) will sign an Agreement to organize biennial workshops alternatively in San Francisco and Naples, exchange of faculty, researchers and mutual staff development opportunities.
Open to community leaders and donors to the various programs outlined above, the meeting will provide an opportunity to local and international media to meet Mayor de Magistris and learn more of his plan to “Unite the Two Bays”. “Naples and San Francisco take the opportunity of the historical joint performance of Verdi’s Requiem, to bring the two bays closer together on business, technology and equal opportunities” said Mayor de Magistris. “Our two cities have a strong affinity, and not just because of their proximity to the sea and their maritime history, but also in light of their strong civil rights culture.” “We look forward to working with the City of Naples in order to fight discrimination and strengthen human rights,” said Theresa Sparks, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.
On Naples’ Mayor Luigi de Magistris:
Mayor de Magistris began his career as a public prosecutor in 1995 and worked in Naples from 1998 to 2002. He was deputy public prosecutor in Catanzaro from 2002 to 2009 and also served as a Member of the European Parliament. Mayor de Magistris was recognized for his commitment to fighting against organized crime and corruption during his time as a prosecutor. As a member of the European Parliament, de Magistris served as President of the Commission on Budgetary Control and worked on issues such as transparency in the allocation of investment funds. He also spoke out on human rights issues, particularly against the forced return of vessels carrying migrants and asylum seekers on the high seas. In 2011, de Magistris ran for Mayor of Naples and won in the second round, defeating the right-wing candidate Gianni Lettieri with 65% of the vote. Mayor de Magistris graduated summa cum laude from Federico II University of Naples Law School. He is married and has two sons.
Since his election in 2011, Luigi de Magistris, Naples has become a laboratory for social innovation, participatory democracy and bottom-up initiatives. Citizens have taken to the streets to clean parks and public spaces of debris and garbage; restore monuments, clean graffiti and revive public gardens. But above all they have reacted to the idea that Naples couldn’t take a path of renewal and reform and return to its ancient role of European capital.
A young, energetic, and independent politician Luigi de Magistris, is an expression of this civil revival. A staunch supporter of civil rights of all minorities, and of zero-waste practices, he has made way for a new coalition of civil-minded community organizations. De Magistris is taking the opportunity of his visit to San Francisco for Verdi’s Requiem to highlight this renewed sense of civic purpose of the City of Naples in the field of arts, science, technology and civic life.
Where: Italian Consulate General in San Francisco, 2590 Webster St.
When: Friday October 25, 11:00am
Contacts:
Paolo Pontoniere, Campania Felix, pmpurpont@aol.com – 415-310-9214
Bob Rogers, Laws-Rogers Associates, brgrs752@gmail.com, 858-349-3041
Judy Laws, Laws-Rogers Associates, jblaws1@netscape.net, 858-349-3821
