Protect City Services!


As San Diego prepares to outsource many city services, CPI and our allies are working to enact and enforce critical protections of service quality and workers’ healthcare There is strong evidence, both locally and nationally, that contracting without sufficient standards, monito­ring and disclosure can dismantle vital services, drive up costs and shift good jobs to low-wage jobs with no health insurance.

­"I'm Your Trash Man"­: City trash collector Franklin Lamberth explains some of the problems with outsourcing.

­Working in partnership with City of San Diego employees, CPI staff developed the proposed reforms to the "managed competition" process Mayor Jerry Sanders is using to privatize a number of city functions.

These new reforms were approved in July 2008 by the City Council by a 7-1 vote, with only Councilmember Jim Madaffer opposed. However, a Public Employees Relations Board judge ruled the City had not negotiated in good faith on the managed competition process and ordered that the negotiation began.

When the renegotiations are finished, CPI’s proposals will have to go back to the City Council for approval. The goals of the proposals remain the same and will have three major impacts:

  • Contractors won't be able to underbid the city workforce by denying workers health benefits.  Differences in employer spending on health insurance are removed from the bid comparison, so that contractors can't gain an unfair advantage by failing to insure their workers.

  • Open, public review will help preserve service quality.  The public and the Council will be able to r­eview descriptions of the work to be performed — and Council approval will be required — before the city seeks bids for privatizing any city function.

  • City workers who know the jobs will have a good chance of staying on the job.  Any contractor taking over a city service will have to give first preference in hiring to displaced city workers.

­Join CPI in protecting city services and middle-class jobs!


Delegations of community members, city workers, civic leaders and other allies met with City Councilmembers and their staff for weeks to discuss the proposals.  More than a dozen people testified at the City Council meeting on the need to preserve health benefits and protect against sloppy work by contractors.  Video of the meeting is available here.We thank you and hope you will join our advocacy efforts again as the City moves forward with privatization this fall.

Let’s keep the focus on the best interests of residents and taxpayers! ­

If you would like to get involved with the campaign contact Natalie Nava at Natalie@onlineCPI.org or 619.584.5744 ext.24

­* CPI issued a brief report on documented failures by current city contractors that have resulted in poor service and/or extra costs as city workers had to redo the work.  In an opinion column published last year, CPI Research and Policy Director Murtaza Baxamusa explained how privatization puts health coverage at risk.


Grant Thornton
Contract Restricted


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