San Francisco Mayor Lee, CCSF To Implement Local Hiring Law
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Wednesday announced a plan to implement the city's new local hiring law, and on Thursday City College trustees announced a similar resolution to address what they say is a lack of local hiring at one of their campuses.
CCSF Board President John Rizzo and Trustee Steve Ngo Thursday announced a resolution to mandate local hiring for construction jobs at the college's new Chinatown/North Beach campus.
The resolution was to be introduced Thursday night at a meeting of the board's Facilities, Infrastructure and Technology Committee.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a citywide local hiring law in December, but City College projects fall under a different jurisdiction and require a separate enforcement process.
The group Chinese for Affirmative Action hosted an event Thursday afternoon at which Rizzo and Ngo announced the resolution. Spokeswoman Susan Hsieh said the resolution targets contractors who are not complying with a good-faith agreement to hire local workers.
On Wednesday, Mayor Lee announced a plan to implement the citywide local hiring law.
The law, which takes effect on March 25, requires in its first year that contractors performing city-funded projects hire at least 20 percent San Francisco residents. The percentage will increase by 5 percent each year, to 50 percent in the law's seventh year.
The city is working on developing incentives for contractors who exceed the local hiring mandate, according to the mayor's office.
"Local hire will not only boost our local economy and get San Francisco families back to work, but it will translate into a reinvestment in our city that will help pay for parks, public safety and social services," Lee said in a statement.
Lee's support for the local hiring law is in contrast to his predecessor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who threatened to veto it.
The measure was approved by a veto-proof majority of the board on Dec. 14.
The ordinance also drew ire from some contractors and building trade unions, as well as the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and other Peninsula officials, including state Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo.
Hill has argued that the measure is unfair to San Mateo County residents who work on projects in San Francisco and is harmful to the Bay Area's economy as a whole.
More information on the city's local hiring program is available at www.oewd.org, by e-mailing Local.Hire.Ordinance@sfgov.org, or by calling the local hire hotline at (415) 581-2363.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)
