Marc Benioff may be a celebrity in the tech and business subcultures. But four-time Emmy-winning comedian, actor, writer, and director Chris Rock is a celebrity everywhere. So his video endorsement today of Prop C, a ballot initiative to raise $300 million for housing and homeless programs in San Francisco, adds considerable star power. So does a near-simultaneous video from four-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Jewel Kilcher.
“I never thought I’d be telling you that I’ve been talking to Jewel and Chris Rock,” said Prop C organizer Christin Evans in a conversation with me today. (Evans is widely credited with helping to win the support–including about $7 million in donations–from Salesforce and its flamboyant co-CEO Benioff.)
@OurHomeSF gives San Franciscans the chance to transform their lives. The homeless crisis hurts all of us, so please vote Yes on C tomorrow. Remember Yes on C for compassion. — @jeweljk 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/dQbG3w9sWP
— YES on C – Our City, Our Home! (@OurHomeSF) November 6, 2018
The appeal is especially personal from Kilcher. “A lot of people don’t realize that I was homeless when I was 18, because I refused the sexual advances of a boss,” she says in a tweeted video. “Nobody plans to become homeless. I know firsthand what it takes to need a hand, and some help. And I benefitted greatly from it.”
Related: The dirty political fight to get tech’s richest companies to give less than 1% to the homeless
Rock’s own video is characteristically direct. “This is one of the richest, most beautiful cities in the world,” he says. “There is no excuse for us to treat the homeless this way.”
Chris Rock says: We can do this San Francisco!! Let’s vote YES on C!!!! @chrisrock 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/Ezoahlrnhr
— YES on C – Our City, Our Home! (@OurHomeSF) November 6, 2018
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
