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Labor leader at helm of fight over Sacramento strong mayor
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| Feb 08, 2010 |
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The man behind the lawsuit to block Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong-mayor initiative from the ballot wears suspenders, speaks with a gentle South Carolina drawl and calls those he's friendly with "brother."
He's also known as a hard-hitting negotiator who fled an assassination plot by white supremacists in Mississippi, where he was organizing black college students.
Now, he's the political face of thousands of union members in Sacramento, where organized labor can act as political kingmaker.
Bill Camp, the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, brought the lawsuit challenging the legality of Johnson's strong-mayor initiative.
Last week, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster sided with Camp's lawsuit and blocked the measure from the June 8 ballot.
Proponents plan to appeal the ruling today in the 3rd District Court of Appeal.
McMaster agreed with Camp's argument that the strong-mayor initiative is the kind of widespread city charter revision that can be proposed only by governing bodies, not a private party backed by a signature drive.
The proposal would give the mayor increased power over the city budget and work force.
Camp has insisted his lawsuit is not about Johnson, whom he and the Labor Council supported during the 2008 mayoral election. Not only did Camp endorse Johnson, he actively campaigned for him and the council contributed $5,850 to Johnson's campaign.
"We ask everybody to play by the rules and this was a change of the rules," Camp said the other day over beef stew and corn bread at a truck stop off Interstate 80. "The court protects the process by which we change the structure of government, and that's good. It's not just who has enough money to pay people to go out and gather signatures."
The initiative's defenders argue McMaster's decision would deprive the voters of a chance to have their say on an initiative that thousands of people supported placing on the ballot and that it creates a dangerous legal precedent.
Camp said he doesn't like that under the proposed strong-mayor system, the mayor – and he means any mayor – would have too much control over too many city employees. Under Johnson's proposal, the mayor could have hiring and firing power over 800 city workers.
"We live in a civil service system and that destroys it, in my opinion," he said. "That's a whole different culture from what we've got here."
He said that shift could lead to even more influence being swung by developers.
"I'm concerned when you look at the way money is spent in Sacramento for elections, some people have a lot bigger financial impact than others," he said. "And there needs to be thoughtful review of land use decisions. I'm concerned that the way this is set up, people in the planning department could be hired and fired by the mayor."
Camp's lawsuit is the first strike in what is expected to be a busy year for labor in City Hall politics.
There are four hotly contested council races in play on the June ballot, and Camp has already endorsed a proposed initiative for November for a $29 parcel tax to support youth programs.
With a mayoral task force considering proposals for a sports and entertainment complex, Camp said he also wants to make sure any facility is built with and staffed by unionized workers.
Camp still shows support for the mayor, saying Johnson has made some good decisions, including launching initiatives on homelessness, the arts and education.
But the two have differed on issues important to Camp's organization. Last May, Johnson abstained from a 7-1 City Council vote to support the federal Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that is being considered that would make it easier for employees to join or form labor unions. Johnson said a council vote on the federal legislation was "outside the purview of the city."
"We've been advocates for (Johnson) and I took a lot of heat for it," Camp said.
In addition, Johnson told Camp and other labor leaders during his 2008 mayoral run that he would create a labor liaison in the mayor's office if elected. |
| -Ryan Lillis, The Sacramento Bee |
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