Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, was joined by a host of public officials and workers groups from San Mateo County -- all of whom voiced their opposition to the so-called local hiring ordinance.
In December, San Francisco supervisors passed an ordinance that requires 20 percent local hiring for city public works projects -- increasing to 50 percent in 2016. Hill's legislation would prevent any state monies from being used in those projects as well as others in cities which have a similar ordinance.
Standing in the wings were workers from San Francisco who oppose the bill. Most were from Bayview-Hunters Point.
"We need jobs in our community. We're the last ones hired. The first ones fired," said.
Hill maintains that San Francisco's local hiring bill would even apply to projects at SFO which is in San Mateo County.
"For a neighboring county of ours to say San Mateo men and women cannot work on projects that are in San Mateo County is even more unacceptable," San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Carole Groom
The author of the local hiring ordinance is San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos.
"I think it's just this desperate attempt by Jerry Hill to get his name in the papers," he said.
Avalos says if Assemblyman Hill's legislation becomes law, it might severely curtail or even stop big city projects like the sewer renovation and work on San Francisco General Hospital and the Central Subway, and that's because many locally funded projects also have state money.
Hill's legislation would cut that source of funding at stake is $27 billion which San Francisco is expected to award to public works projects over the next decade.
