UPDATE CITY CONTRACTING RULES OR RISK LOSING MILLIONS
San Diego needs every dollar we can get to restore our economy and help San Diegans back to work.
But new state laws put San Diego at risk of losing millions of dollars in state infrastructure funds unless we fix outdated city contracting rules on construction.
Correcting that problem is what the “Safeguard San Diego” measure we’ve proposed for November’s ballot is all about — ensuring we don’t leave a single dollar on the table as we work to recover and rebuild from the economic crisis we’re all facing.
It’s a simple fix with a big impact. The measure updates city contracting policies to simply allow for consideration of project labor agreements on construction — a basic requirement for San Diego to keep receiving our fair share of state funding to fix roads, protect water quality, upgrade neighborhood parks and more.
The impact of that small change for San Diego taxpayers? Massive. San Diego received $64 million in state funding for neighborhood improvements last year alone. And if state funds for the Pure Water recycling project are lost, local taxpayers will be on the hook for at least $140 million.
That’s money and jobs San Diego needs now more than ever. And allowing the city to consider project labor agreements on construction makes a whole lot of sense in this moment, too.
These agreements help put local workers first by prioritizing hiring for San Diego residents over out-ofstate workers and providing apprenticeships that lead to good-paying careers.
Add in the measure’s strict taxpayer protections to prohibit employment discrimination, ensure open competition and expand fiscal oversight on city construction, and this measure is a win-win for San Diego taxpayers and workers.
That’s why a broad citywide coalition has formed to join us in backing “Safeguard San Diego,” including the Middle Class Taxpayers Association, the Democratic Party and neighborhood groups in Southeast San Diego who advocate for the underserved communities who can least afford losing access to vital state funds right now.
And San Diego isn’t the only city considering this common-sense change to protect its eligibility for state funding. Chula Vista voters approved a similar measure in March with more than 67% of the vote. Chula Vista’s mayor called it a “no-brainer.” It is.
So who would oppose such a measure? The big corporate special interests who got us in this mess in the first place.
Nearly a decade ago, big construction contractors and Downtown developers passed a measure to outright ban project labor agreements. As usual, it was all about their bottom lines — paying employees less, shipping in out-of-state workers, avoiding more taxpayer oversight.
Now, even though recent state laws prohibit these bans and our city stands to lose millions as a result, those same special interests remain hell-bent on putting their profits over the public interest.
They’ll spend millions to trick you into thinking that it’s bad for San Diegans if our elected representatives are given the option to negotiate the best deal, no matter who it’s with, for San Diego workers and taxpayers. Don’t believe their lies.
The truth is the “Safeguard San Diego” measure doesn’t require a single labor agreement on construction — it simply ends the ban on them so San Diego can continue to qualify for the state infrastructure dollars our neighborhoods need.
But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to a former president of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, Lani Lutar, who signed the ballot statement for the ban on project labor agreements in 2012, but now supports its repeal: “I supported Measure A in 2012, but new state laws make it necessary for San Diego to update city contracting rules or risk losing millions. It would be irresponsible to endanger San Diego’s economic recovery by putting even one penny of infrastructure funding in jeopardy.”
Enough said.
This Tuesday, the City Council will vote on whether to put the “Safeguard San Diego” measure on the ballot. We urge the council’s support and ask for the public’s come November.
Let’s safeguard state funding for San Diego so we can rebuild our infrastructure, restore our economy and get San Diegans back to work.
Special interests remain hell-bent on putting profits over public interest.