By Associated Press
San Francisco — A three-week trial began in federal court in San Francisco on Monday on a claim by civil rights groups that Contra Costa County’s public contracting system discriminates against women and minorities.
The lawsuit contends that minority- and women-owned businesses are disproportionately shut out of the county’s $100 million per year in public contracts, in part because the county relies too strongly on sole-source contracts given without competitive bidding.
David Berger, a lawyer for the civil rights groups, told U.S. District Judge William Orrick, “The plaintiffs seek equality, not quotas. They are seeking an equal chance to get into the game and play and not be shut out on the sidelines.”
The class action lawsuit was filed in 1998 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Northern California Latin Business Association and the Coalition for Economic Equity.
The plaintiffs want Orrick to issue an injunction requiring the county to take steps to make sure minorities and women have the opportunity to bid on contracts. The county contends the plaintiffs are asking for preferences that were made illegal by Proposition 209, a 1996 California voter initiative that banned affirmative action in the state.
Amber Shinn, a lawyer for the county, told the judge, “This case isn’t about equal opportunity, it’s about preferences.” She said the proposed injunction “would create a contracting bureaucracy that would virtually bring the county government to a standstill.” |
