News release: June 10, 2010 Contact:
Susan Duerksen, CPI 619-584-5744 x.64 or 619-804-1950
Deceptive ballot measure would ban living
wages
City leaders warn contractor-funded initiative is
"bait and switch"
San Diego
elected officials, faith leaders and community leaders today denounced a
misleading and destructive new ballot measure bankrolled by government
contractors and developers. Several speakers called the measure "a classic bait
and switch."
The initiative would overturn and ban San Diego's Living
Wage Ordinance, and prohibit many other requirements on contractors. Contrary to
proponents' claims, it would actually reduce transparency and accountability in
city contracting, and would cost the city millions of dollars in state and
federal funding.
"This measure is transparent in name only and fails to
properly disclose the fact that it would eliminate the City's Living Wage
Ordinance," said Councilmember Donna Frye. "Contrary to its title, it's as
transparent as a brick wall."
The six-page proposition contains a
string of hidden impacts:
It bans San
Diego's Living Wage Ordinance by prohibiting wage requirements above
minimum wage
It prevents
the City's use of state and federal funds for public works projects --
from street repair to the convention center expansion.
It bans
requirements for local hiring and standards for contractor qualifications
and safety training.
It bans
equal benefits protections.
The measure is far
from "grassroots," as claimed by Councilmember Carl DeMaio. In just the first
three months, the contractors' lobby spent $161,000 on paid signature-gatherers.
Voters report being misinformed and pressured to sign, and sometimes fooled by
the deceptive wording.
"I deeply
wish that I could take my signature back," said voter Stephanie Alaimo of
Mission Hills. "I firmly support the need for a living wage in California. This
initiative is ... far from transparent!"
The ballot measure claims to
implement the stalled Managed Competition program, but actually guts it and
creates a new process to force privatization of public services -- with far less
accountability, no oversight or cost monitoring, and more risk of corruption.
"This ballot measure is a sham and a disgrace," said Father Tommie
Jennings, of Christ the King Catholic Church. "Our public dollars should never
be used to subsidize poverty wages. This will do great harm to hard-working
families in our community."
The Center on
Policy Initiatives, which advocates for low- and middle-income workers, has
created a committee to fight the ballot measure, called Stop the Ban of Living
Wages. More information is available at www.ProtectLivingWages.org.
Speakers:
Donna Frye, San Diego City Councilmember,
District 6
Marti Emerald, San Diego City Councilmember, District
7
Todd Gloria, San Diego City Councilmember, District 3
Richard
Barrera, President, San Diego Unified School District
Richard Lawrence,
Southeastern Economic Development Corp. and Affordable Housing
Coalition
Reverend Dr. Jamie Gates, President, Interfaith Committee for
Worker Justice of San Diego County (ICWJ) & Professor, Point Loma Nazarene
University, Center for Justice and Reconciliation
Reverend Wayne Riggs,
Pastor, Plymouth Congregational Church
Father Tommie Jennings, Pastor,
Christ the King Catholic Church
Christy Figueroa, Chair, San Diego
Organizing Project
Murtaza Baxamusa, PhD, Research and Policy Director,
Center on Policy Initiatives
