Liccardo Would Add Insult to Injury in Mayor’s Office

My friends in the Liccardo-for-Mayor camp keep telling me that Sam will not be like Chuck Reed.  It’s hard to believe.  Sam has voted with the Mayor on every major economic justice issue.  The two of them opposed the minimum wage increase, voted to undermine the City’s living wage policy, imposed work conditions on most of the City’s employees and supported illegal, draconian pension changes.

And it’s not just that Sam acts like a conservative Republican on economic justice issues.  His rhetoric is divisive.  Take for instance this quote from his campaign manager justifying his refusal to accept campaign expenditure limits:

“We thought long and hard about the fundraising path and we decided not to take the voluntary limit, mostly because we’ll be facing the challenge of overcoming what we expect to be millions of contributions to our opponent through various special interests—card clubs, marijuana dispensaries and unions.”

This language mirrors the rhetoric of the Reed era.  And it’s no wonder.   Reed’s way is the only way Sam really knows.  When faced with a controversy, Reed has made a career of attacking people he thinks are vulnerable, and that’s what Sam is doing too.

The result has been a disaster for the City.  Attacks on city workers and their union representatives have devastated services. The Water Pollution Treatment Plant is so understaffed – despite the presence of extremely expensive contractors – that the City is at risk of a catastrophic sewage spill.  The Planning Department is so understaffed that only certain favored businesses get adequate attention.  A week does not go by without some reminder that the police force is too understaffed to deal with the City’s rising crime.

Campaign rhetoric has consequences.  When Sam continues to attack City workers and their union representatives, no one can realistically expect that the mass exodus of police and other key City workers will stop.  The exodus will continue, and it will be terrible for business.  While some business leaders may prefer Sam for ideological reasons or because they have a personal relationship with him or simply because Labor supports his opponent, most local businesses would be better off with a mayor who can heal the City, and that’s not Sam.

 

Ben Field is the Executive Officer of the South Bay Labor Council

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