Brightline Defense Project

BRIGHTLINE CALLS FOR SAN FRANCISCO COMMITMENT TO
"GREEN HIRING" IN 2010

Jobs Filled By Local Residents Help The Environment And Empower Communities

January 5, 2010, San Francisco, CA—Brightline Defense Project has begun 2010 by sounding a call for "green hiring" in San Francisco, asking the City and County of San Francisco to commit to hiring San Francisco residents for projects funded by the City, simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions associated with long commutes and empowering San Francisco's underserved communities. The concept of "green hiring" is part of the broader "green jobs" movement to create jobs that have a positive impact on the environment in low-income communities, particularly communities of color and of limited English speakers.

The practice of "local" or "targeted" hiring has historically been considered a workforce development tool to create jobs for San Francisco residents when the City spends money on construction and non-construction projects. Local hiring has been eroded in recent years, however, for fear that the City's failure to update the local hiring statute found in Chapter 6 of the Administrative Code has left San Francisco with a law that will not hold up in court. Chapter 6 has even been removed from most of San Francisco's Department of Public Works contracts.

"We don't often discuss the environmental benefits of local hiring, but we will this year" said Brightline Executive Director Joshua Arce. "The first step will be to join the cities of Oakland and Richmond by updating our local hiring statute to comport with the current state of the law, drawing upon the lessons learned in Cleveland, Ohio." Cleveland's Lewis Law, which mandates jobs for Cleveland residents on city-funded projects, is notable for surviving a legal challenge two years ago.

In recent years, Brightline has worked on environmental justice efforts with groups such as the Sierra Club, Green for All, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Our City, Greenaction, the Greenlining Institute, the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, and the Southeast Jobs Coalition, as well as leaders such as Van Jones and Espanola Jackson, and will once again work to ensure that a groundswell of support is behind the effort to move San Francisco forward as a leader in green hiring in 2010.

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Brightline Defense Project is a non-profit civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and empowering communities. Brightline’s efforts have led to the prevention of a new power plant in Southeast San Francisco and increased employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged residents, particularly in the green jobs sector.

www.brightlinedefense.org

1028A Howard Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 US