New role for former Supervisor Yeager
Former Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager has a new role that’ll keep him engaged in LGBTQ issues. He’s going to be the first executive director of the BAYMEC Community Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the LGBTQ advocacy group he cofounded in 1984 with San Jose State’s Wiggsy Sivertsen.
Increased support for the valley’s gay, lesbian and transgender community was the primary legacy Yeager left after 12 years on the Board of Supervisors that ended in January. He was the first openly gay person to serve on both the Santa Clara County Board and the San Jose City Council and helped found the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee to provide support for LGBTQfriendly candidates and measures.
Yeager’s initial focus will be working with high schools and colleges about LGBTQ issues, establishing gay-friendly se-
nior housing and advocating for the Getting to Zero campaign to fight HIV. He also plans to continue support of Santa Clara County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the new LGBTQ homeless shelter and the Transgender Health Clinic.
It’s quite a list for an organization that’s a lean operation at the moment. “I hope the foundation gets to the point soon where he can open an office and be a place where interns and volunteers can work on issues of concern to our community,” Yeager said of the nonprofit, which was established in 2013. Get more details on its work at www.baymecfoundation.org.
This new job also means you can scratch Yeager’s name off your State Senate candidate bingo card. He had established an exploratory committee for a run, but opted to turn his energies toward building the foundation. He hasn’t ruled out running for office in the future, though. THEIR NEW STATUS IS ‘ELECTED’ » Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, currently serving as the board’s president, clearly has an eye for political talent. All three of his appointees to the county’s Commission on the Status of Women won their bids for elected office in November Yan Zhao was elected to the Saratoga City Council; Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto was elected to Fremont Union High School District School Board; and Susan Ellenberg has joined Simitian on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
And that means there are three vacancies on the commission, designated for appointment by Simitian, who represents northwest Santa Clara County. Interested applicants can get more information at www.sccgov.org/sites/d5/howwecanhelp.
“This is a great problem to have,” Simitian said in a release. “It means that we now have three experienced public servants in office, and it creates an opportunity for three new folks to contribute. In my view, this is a winner all around.” FAREWELL TO ED MOSHER » A memorial service is taking place at 1 p.m. Saturday to honor the life of Ed
Mosher, the longtime San Jose men’s clothier who died Jan. 29 after a two-year battle with can- cer. A longtime booster of San Jose State — and especially of the Delta Upsilon fraternity of which he was a member — it seems fitting that the remembrance is being held at Morris Dailey Auditorium on campus.
Mosher — who would have turned 90 on March 18 — owned a number of men’s clothing stores in San Jose and the South Bay. An indefatigable believer in the promise of downtown San Jose, Mosher’s last store had a prominent spot at the Fairmont Hotel. He closed the store in late 2017 to focus on his health.