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Trades tell Planning Commission CityBuild fails to deliver local hires; union members press for enforcement of hiring goals
Summary
Multiple tradespeople told the Planning Commission they believe CityBuild fails to place program graduates into local construction work and that contractors are hiring out‑of‑town firms instead; speakers asked city leaders to review program performance and funding.
During the meeting’s general public comment period several labor speakers criticized CityBuild, saying the program gives trainees false hope and routinely fails to place apprentices on local construction projects. Louise Williams, a journeyman carpenter, described repeated experiences where apprentices trained through CityBuild did not receive on‑site hours and complained that contractors from outside the city are filling local jobs.
Miguel Gomez and Jim Salinas recounted outreach to City College and monitoring efforts to encourage contractors to hire San Francisco residents and said they support stronger enforcement of community benefits and hiring commitments on development projects. Commissioners acknowledged the testimony but noted the commission itself does not administer CityBuild and suggested complainants take concerns to the appropriate departments and the Board of Supervisors.
There was no commission action on CityBuild at the hearing; commissioners and staff suggested staff prepare memos or direct the correspondences to responsible executive agencies when appropriate.
