Victory!  Council Aims for Better Jobs in San Diego's Future

Working people in San Diego won a far-reaching victory yesterday, when the City Council voted 5-2 to include "good jobs with self-sufficient wages" as a priority for future development.  

The vote means the city's General Plan, which sets guidelines for development approval decisions for the next 20 years, will focus on strengthening industries that provide high-quality jobs paying middle-class wages. As approved, the plan stresses that development should create employment with "self-sufficient wages," defined as "enough for families and single adults to achieve a modest standard of living where families can make ends meet without assistance from public programs."

CPI and many allies rallied outside City Hall and provided testimony inside, urging the Council to reject Mayor Jerry Sanders' deletion of all references to "livable wages" in the plan.  Council President Scott Peters and Councilmember Tony Young suggested the new terminology in response to a misinformation campaign from the restaurant industry confusing the General Plan with the city's Living Wage Ordinance.

Hotel worker Connie Mendoza described working two jobs to support her family as a single parent. "I never really had any quality time to spend with my family," she said.  "We need to plan for jobs that allow people to support themselves and live in dignity."

In a commentary published Monday, CPI Research and Policy Director Murtaza Baxamusa put the issue in a larger  perspective, presenting solutions to reverse the city's failed economic development strategy of subsidizing low-paying industries.

Please join us in thanking Councilmembers Peters, Young, Ben Hueso, Toni Atkins and Donna Frye for voting to create economic prosperity for all San Diegans, not just a select few! Send email messages to the Council and thank them publicly with letters to the editor.