Mayor Daniel Lurie broke his silence on the embattled San Francisco Zoo, signaling a push to oust the current CEO Tanya Peterson. But Peterson made it clear she’s not resigning.
Lurie released a statement Friday night urging the zoo board to “develop a plan to name a new CEO,” saying that new leadership would allow the zoo to become “truly world-class” and welcome the pandas to the city.
The contentious situation arose from City Hall sources who said that Peterson had informed Lurie she would resign, prompting Lurie to weigh in on Peterson’s employment publicly.
Peterson told The Standard Friday night that she did not resign. Instead, she said she will have two important meetings next week — one with a corporate sponsor in Denver and the other via Zoom with her zoo colleagues who are in China.
This is the latest drama around the zoo after Peterson has survived intense scrutiny and multiple rounds of controversies. She faced fierce opposition from the union as she was accused of mismanagement and scandals related to animal welfare. This month, the Board of Supervisors decided to freeze city funding to the zoo to pressure the organization to comply with a financial audit. There was also a failed attempt to oust Peterson from some board members.
Zoo spokesperson Sam Singer further clarified that Peterson had a “productive and good conversation” with the mayor on Thursday and she used a philosophical metaphor to convey that she will always do what’s best for the zoo — even if that means stepping down.
Singer confirmed Peterson has no intention of leaving at this time. The Standard is unable to verify the details of the conversation between Lurie and Peterson.
The zoo is under the city’s Recreation and Parks Department but operates independently with its own governing board. While the mayor has no direct authority over the CEO’s employment, his involvement adds political pressure to the situation.
Meanwhile, the zoo announced a major new hire, Cassandra Costello, who will serve as the zoo’s new chief operating officer. Costello previously worked at SF Travel as an executive leader.