Unvaccinated leader of film commission is asked to resign
Susannah Greason Robbins, executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission, is being forced from her job at the end of this year after choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as required by a city mandate, she said.
After 11 years on the job, Robbins is being released on Dec. 31. She had requested an exemption from San Francisco’s vaccine mandate on religious grounds, but that request was denied, she said. She was asked to submit a letter of resignation to the Film Commission, which works to attract and support efforts to film movies and TV series in San Francisco.
“I’m sad to be leaving because I love this job and this city and the film community we have here,” Robbins said in a statement to The Chronicle on Tuesday. “I also feel that we’ve built San Francisco into a city where productions know they can do the work they want because of the effectiveness of my staff and the relationships we’ve created with other city agencies and key city stakeholders.”
Robbins said she does not want to get vaccinated because of her personal beliefs about vaccinations, which are based on her Christian Scientist upbringing. While she is not currently a practicing Christian Scientist, she said, “My upbringing is the foundation of my belief system. I never had childhood vaccinations and don’t make them a practice in my life.”
Whether a person submits to a particular medical treatment should be a personal choice, not that of a government agency, she said.
“I am incredibly grateful for having had this job for the past 11 years and thankful to have been able to do something daily that I have loved,” Robbins said. “I have a great team in the film office who will keep the work moving forward with the support of the commission and know that the city will do everything to support their work to keep production flowing in San Francisco.”