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San Francisco Zoo director who forced staff to listen to cheesy love song her husband wrote about her and made it the menagerie's official jingle slapped with allegations of nepotism
A zoo director who made her husband's cheesy love song for her the business' official jingle has been slapped with allegations of nepotism by her staff.
Tanya Peterson, the lawyer-turned-director of the San Francisco Zoo, paid her blues singer husband Greg Dayton almost $10,000 in 'entertainment fees' to perform the song which was written in 2021 and plays during the zoo's radio commercials.
Dayton, who was her boyfriend at the time, made the song 'See My Baby' for Peterson which features the lyrics: 'She spends her days at the local zoo, knows what the monkeys do. Nothing's gonna' stop us from misbehavin' when I go to see my baby tonight.'
Although the non-profit zoo said that Dayton was not paid for the use of his song that appeared in weekly radio ads, officials told The Chronicle that he was paid for multiple concerts that took place there in 2022 and 2023.
Staff are now calling for her to be fired amidst other concerns over her hiring practices and financial mismanagement.
Tanya Peterson, the director of the San Francisco Zoo, has allegedly been ordering employees to listen to the ballad her blues singer husband Greg Dayton wrote for her in 2021
A music video featuring his lover was published to the zoo's YouTube page in May 2021 as Peterson, dressed in a multi-print sweater, was seen feeding animals with a face mask on.
Vitus Leung, the deputy director of the zoo, told the outlet that Dayton was given a $5,000 'event entertainment fee' that included talent, sound, rentals. Leung said the amount was reimbursed by a sponsor at the event.
Leung continued that the next summer, Peterson's husband was paid an additional $3,750 by the zoo for performing five concerts in July and August during the summertime event series.
Following the release of his song, the union claims that the zoo promoting Dayton's music was 'extremely inappropriate.'
In addition to his many concerts, the music video and ads, 'See My Baby' is also featured on the zoo's website, along with Dayton's album cover 'Here to Stay.'
Even though the song was produced and released when the couple were dating, now that they are married, the advertising for it could be considered 'excess benefits,' Lloyd Mayer, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, told The Chronicle.
Dayton and Peterson got married in April 2024, according to an Instagram post he shared of them smiling, showing off their rings.
Dayton and Peterson got married in April 2024, according an Instagram post he shared of them smiling big, showing off their rings
A music video featuring his lover was published to the zoo's YouTube page in May 2021 as Peterson, dressed in a multi-print sweater, was seen feeding animals with a face mask on
In addition to promoting her husband's musical career, Peterson has also been accused of hiring many relatives to work at the zoo she runs.
A total of eight family members and friends reportedly received benefits while employed there, including two men who are directly related to Peterson, The Chronicle reported.
The outlet found that both men received more than $1.4million in zoo contracts over three years.
Other relatives that have been employed at the zoo include Peterson's daughter, Dayton's nephew, a family friend who has connections with her father, and the husband of a friend she went to law school with.
It is unclear if hiring relatives and loved ones is considered to be a violation against the zoo's policy.
Some 97 percent of the union's membership voted no-confidence in the CEO in April. Employees have previously expressed concern for unsafe working conditions and animal welfare at the zoo.
Peterson quickly defended her hiring choices and told The Chronicle: 'For 16 years, I have worked tirelessly to make the San Francisco Zoo a thriving destination for Bay Area families.
'During my tenure as both a board member and executive director, my family and I have donated considerable resources to the zoo, including significant financial gifts as well as pro-bono services,' she said.
In addition to promoting her husband's musical career, Peterson has also been accused of hiring many relatives to work at the zoo she runs. (pictured: Peterson at the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2016)
Although the non-profit zoo said that Dayton was not paid for the use of his song that appeared in weekly radio ads, officials told The Chronicle that he was paid for multiple concerts that took place there in 2022 and 2023
The embattled director went on to mention that an anonymous online petition made last year that called for her resignation, also questioned the zoo's hiring practices.
According to Peterson, the board decided the petition, which highlighted her 'mismanagement', was found to be 'without merit.'
Melinda Dunn, the new chair of the zoo board, said that an investigation is underway on the zoo's hiring practices.
'We are committed to an independent investigation of the allegations brought by the union, and that is currently underway,' Dunn wrote.
When asked about the specifics of hiring at the zoo, Dunn replied: 'We believe that all hiring and contracting decisions at San Francisco Zoo are made with a strong emphasis on merit.'
These fresh allegations have come around the same time the zoo is expected to receive a significant sum of money for a fundraising campaign led by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Private donors are set to help the zoo prepare to host two giant pandas from China. The home for the animals is set to cost about $25million. The city gives the zoo around $4million a year.
DailyMail.com contacted Peterson, Dayton and the San Francisco Zoo for comment.