CMAC's Board of Directors is very pleased to announce the selection of Patricia Breslin as the first Executive Director of the California Music and Culture Association.

A 30 year veteran of San Francisco's Hospitality and Tourism Industry, Patricia has worked with restaurants, hotels and the taxi industry - most recently as Executive Director of the Hotel Council of San Francisco and previously as the Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.  Up until that time, she held leadership positions with Real Restaurants and Spectrum Foods.

Additionally, Patricia held the hospitality seat on the Taxi Commission and now holds the High User Seat on the Rate Fairness Board for the SFPUC.  Due to her involvement in a wide range of community and civic organizations, Ms. Breslin has been named by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area's Most Influential Women for the past six (6) years - until she was inducted into the "Forever Influential" Hall of Fame this year.

Patricia holds a B.A. in English from Mt. St. Mary College in New Hampshire; M.A. in Theatre from the State University of New York;  and furthered her acting studies at both the M.F.A. program at U.C.L.A and the American Conservatory Theatre here in San Francisco.

To contact Patrica, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

As the unified voice for entertainment's diverse communities, CMAC tracks new legislation, policy changes, and related media, analyzes how pending changes or discussions impact the music and culture communities, and lets our members know - before change happens.

Health Care Security Ordinance
Effective January 9, 2008, the Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO) required Covered Employers to spend a minimum amount of money each quarter on their Covered Employees' health care. One of the components of the HCSO allows the employer to establish individual health care reimbursement accounts [HRA] - which if unused, may return to the business at the beginning of each calendar year - considered to be a loophole by some;  a business necessity by others.  A series of amendments to the HSCO have been introduced separately by Supervisor David Campos and Supervisor David Chiu, while Mayor Ed Lee has convened a working group of labor, business, health care & city administrators to find a compromise. CMAC has not adopted a position on the HSCO, but has  been involved with other business leaders in a series of conference calls this past month to hear from the offices of Supervisors Campos and Chiu, the Office of the Mayor, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Council of District Merchants, Small Business Network, and Small Business Advocates oppose Campos' proposed amendments; the aforementioned Associations are supporting Supervisor Chiu's amendments. Stay tuned as we learn more in the next few weeks.

Statewide Legislation

AB 74 - Event Safety

Assembly Bill 74 (AB74) - the "Concert and Music Festival Act"  - was recently signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. In December 2010, Assemblymember Ma introduced AB74, then known as the "Anti-Rave Act," which would have banned electronic music events from sunset to sunrise on all publicly owned property.  Following a quick, loud, and organized response from the Bay Area's entertainment and music community, Ma met with a number of industry stakeholders - CMAC being one of them - to discuss how to make these events safer rather than banning them. The new law requires a safety plan for all events of 10,000 or more participants on state-owned property.  It requires large-scale event producers to ensure adequate law enforcement, on site medical personnel, the availability of water, imposed age restrictions, and educational materials. CMAC applauds Assemblymember Ma for her work in constructing a bill that law enforcement, public safety officials, and entertainment industry leaders could agree on.

SB 32 - Infusions

On September 21, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 32 into law. As you may recall, earlier this year, Senator Leno introduced SB 32, a bill that would allow bars to flavor liquor with fruits, vegetables, or herbs. The proposed legislation employs explicit language to prevent this type of over and misregulation from commencing again. The bill also contains an urgency clause, which means it goes into effect immediately.

SB 459 - Contracting laws

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Are you interested in helping the California Music and Culture Association reach a broader audience? Are you someone who cares deeply about nightlife and the role it plays in San Francisco?

CMAC is looking for interns who want to help our organization advocate for the Other 9 to 5. We are looking for someone who is proficient in Joomla Website language, take our basic website, and develop it into the nation's first online nightlife community website.

This person will have regular contact with industry representatives, venue operators, and promoters who represent some of San Francisco's most well known venues and events.

We are also looking for someone who wants to write, research and change to organize on behalf of nightlife in San Francisco. Is this you? If interested, please send your resume to Patricia Breslin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

HALLOWEEN 2011

For the last two years, CMAC has worked to assist the San Francisco Police Department and Clubs with tools to anticipate security needs during the busy holiday months. With Halloween approaching, the SFPD is collaborating with CMAC to provide a comprehensive list of Halloween events that we hope will help you with your security planning. You can find that list on our website here.

Please submit any information you feel would be useful (Date/time of eventt, location, expected attendance, occupancy website, etc.) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .