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PUC staff, residents highlight local-hire rollout; HUD/DOL outreach urged
Summary
During public comment and the General Manager's report, residents and staff discussed the Board's local hire ordinance (effective for bids after March 25), HUD/DOL outreach in Bayview Hunters Point and exemptions for federally funded and project-labor-agreement projects.
Commissioners heard public comment and a staff briefing on the city's new local hire ordinance and outreach to federal agencies.
At the start of the meeting residents and a certified labor compliance manager thanked the general manager and staff for work on local-hire implementation and circulated an invitation to a HUD and Department of Labor outreach event in Bayview Hunters Point. The speaker noted the federal "Section 3" requirements and urged PUC staff to attend the event so city agencies can learn about federal hiring and benefits rules for federally funded projects.
General Manager Ed Harrington (referenced in the record) clarified the ordinance's effective date and scope: it applies to projects bid after March 25 and sets an initial local-hire goal of 20% that would grow about 5 percentage points per year toward 50%. Harrington said roughly half of the initial local-hire target should be for disadvantaged workers, and he described multiple compliance pathways including apprenticeship partnerships, credits for non-city hires, waivers for specialty trades and reciprocity rules under development with neighboring counties.
Staff emphasized significant exemptions: projects covered by project labor agreements are automatically exempt, projects with federal or state funding are exempt for the portion funded by those sources, and the ordinance applies only to the share of a project the city pays when there are multiple funders. Harrington said PUC work on the regional Hetch Hetchy system is mostly paid by wholesale customers and typically only the city's share would be covered.
During public comment Espanola Jackson (Bayview Hunters Point) urged PUC attendance at the HUD/DOL event and said longtime community members have not always benefited from hiring practices. Jackson also asked that compliance officers be certified and urged the commission not to "turn their heads" to community access to jobs.
Staff circulated the HUD/DOL invitation to commissioners and confirmed the PUC will continue working with the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development and other agencies as rules and regulations for implementation are developed.
