San Francisco enacted a sensible law that levels the playing field by giving minorities and women a better chance to win city contracts. In 2004, our anti-discrimination law suffered a setback when a judge struck it down.
Last week, an appeals court ruled that state law does not prevent us from using race- and gender-conscious methods to combat discrimination. Now we have the chance to go back to court to defend our law.
The significance of this case goes well beyond one city's public contracting program. It goes to the heart of how we as a society can combat discrimination in education, public contracting, and employment. Once again, San Francisco is leading the way.
I pledge my full support to the City Attorney, the Board of Supervisors, and the Human Rights Commission as together we fight to defend our sensible law.
