San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee joined other city officials Tuesday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the city’s local hire ordinance.
The ordinance, authored by Supervisor John Avalos, went into effect on March 25, 2011, and far exceeded the goal the city had set for its first year of implementation, Lee said at a news conference this morning.
According to a report released today on the progress of the program, about 34 percent of employees working on city-funded construction projects have been local hires in the past year, well above the 20 percent mandatory level set by the ordinance.
“People’s lives are transforming as a result of this,” Lee said. “People will raise their kids here, buy their breakfast, lunch and dinners in the community, and will live their lives proudly … right in our own city.”
The ordinance was passed by the board in December 2010 and is helping in “putting San Franciscans to work and rebuilding San Francisco,” Avalos said.
However, he said “there are challenges still ahead,” including efforts to incorporate more women and veterans into the program.
The mandatory baseline level of local hires will also rise to 25 percent for the coming year, according to Lee.
The mayor also announced today the establishment of a Local Hire Advisory Committee and the appointment of Pat Mulligan, a member of Carpenters Local Union 22 and the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, as the director of the local hire program.
The news conference was held today at the construction site of the new Cayuga Clubhouse and Playground, one of 22 projects being done with local hire workers.
When it’s completed, the park will feature a new clubhouse, upgraded playgrounds, improved pathways and other improvements, according to the mayor’s office.
More information about the local hire program can be found at www.workforcedevelopmentsf.org.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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