SF Local Hiring Legislation Becomes Law

Mayor Newsom didn't veto the controversial measure, but didn't endorse it either
By: John Upton

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed one of the nation's most aggressive local hiring ordinances to become law.

The Board of Supervisors recently approved legislation introduced by Supervisor John Avalos that compels city construction contractors to hire city residents for a certain amount of work. Contractors that fail to meet the minimum requirements can be fined. The requirement rises gradually from 20 percent of work hours next year to 50 percent in 2016.

The proposed law was opposed by San Mateo, which asked Mayor Gavin Newsom to veto the legislation. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors' 8-3 approval of the legislation meant it was likely to override any such veto.

On Thursday, Newsom returned the local hiring legislation unsigned and without a veto, meaning it will become city law.

"I appreciate the work that has been done to forward the City's local hire policy," Newsom wrote in a Thursday letter to supervisors. "However, the City must consider local hiring goals alongside its mission to represent its residents by managing our resources and budget responsibly. ... We cannot act in isolation in this time of economic challenge: providing work for residents is a shared challenge of Bay Area counties."

Supervisor Avalos welcomed the passage of his law but critized aspects of Newsom's letter.

"As we crafted the ordinance, we vetted many of the issues [Newsom] raises in his letter with city officials under his command," Avalos said in an email. "Earlier this year the Mayor was pushing for tax breaks for new job creation at great cost to our treasury. From his statements about the added cost of the mandate, it is clear that he holds the city's own investments in workforce development to a double standard."