Johnson wins Central Labor Council, Metro Chamber support

Labor union and business leaders may disagree on a lot of issues, but it turns out they have one thing in common: They say they just want someone to talk to.

In the past few days, former NBA star turned Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson bagged high-profile endorsements from both the political arm of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Central Labor Council.

After the chamber's announcement Monday, where a smiling Johnson appeared before a bevy of TV cameras and reporters, executive director Matt Mahood said Fargo just didn't seem to listen to business concerns.

"There have been times I don't get phone calls back. I don't get e-mails back. It's very frustrating," he said.

Johnson has pledged to be a good listener. He said Monday that he had agreed to meet monthly with chamber officials, actively seek their support for his initiatives, and work with the business group on incentives to retain and attract businesses.

He has also assured organized labor that it will have his ear. Bill Camp, executive secretary of the labor council, said Johnson had agreed to hire a liaison to communicate with labor unions, and let the unions have input on who is chosen for the job.

Fargo said Monday that she's not surprised that the chamber and labor council endorsed Johnson over her. Neither group has been a major supporter in the past. Both endorsed rival Rob Kerth in 2000. Camp, the labor council leader, wrote a mailer attacking Fargo as anti-union. She won anyway.

In 2004, when Fargo faced no credible opposition, the chamber endorsed her. The labor council made no endorsement at all.

Camp and Fargo have tangled over project labor agreements, which specify that union workers must be hired on a particular construction job. One of the council's members, the Service Employees International Union, sued the city in 2006 after the council's approval of the $560 million Sutter Hospital expansion in midtown. Sutter and the union were involved in a labor dispute at the time.

Fargo said it's not reasonable for groups to expect an immediate call back from the mayor's office.

"We triage every day in my office," Fargo said. "Whether they want to believe it or not, it's a very big city; being mayor is a very big job, and I don't have a very big staff.

"If it's not on the next Tuesday's agenda, you're going to have to wait a week to hear back. Sorry."

When groups say they want someone to listen, they often mean they want someone to agree with them, Fargo said.

"There are a lot of people who, despite their call for leadership, want someone who will really follow them and their ideas," Fargo said. "I'm a little too independent for that. I always do what's best for the city of Sacamento. That independence scares some people."

Fargo noted that she has her own list of union endorsements, including one from the Sacramento City Teachers Association, which harbors antipathy toward Johnson because of his takeover of Sacramento High School, which employs non-union teachers.

Fargo also retains the backing of developers who have done significant work downtown, including Tony Giannoni, Sotiris Kolokotronis and George Tsakopoulos. The city's best known restaurateur, Randy Paragary, is also in her corner.

"I feel like for the people who are really making it happen in Sacramento, the people who are building housing downtown, the people who are building hotels, the people who are building the waterfront, those people are with me," Fargo said.

Chamber officials said Monday they don't think enough has happened downtown to justify electing Fargo to a third term.

"We need to see something coming to fruition," said Michelle Smira, chairwoman of the chamber's political action committee.

"We've heard a lot about the R Street corridor, the railyard and the riverfront – but nothing has happened."

Johnson cited a lack of progress in downtown redevelopment, the city's budget deficit, violent crime rates, lackluster school test scores and the rise in bankruptcies and home foreclosures as evidence that Sacramento needs a change.

Johnson offered some specific ideas. He said Sacramento should have an auto mall to produce revenue, the city permit process should be streamlined, and that some police officers now filling desk jobs should be put back on beats. He also said a new arena for the Kings should be built at Cal Expo.

He said he is talking to friend and former NBA player Earvin "Magic" Johnson about investing in urban development in Sacramento. Johnson's Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, formed in 1998, has raised $2 billion and invested in 30 development projects in major U.S. cities, according to the firm.

Mahood said it was hard for the chamber to decide whom to endorse, despite its complaints about Fargo. But in the end, the group opted for change.

"I think Mayor Fargo has been a very good public servant for 20 years," he said. "She knows the issues. The challenge was whether we were willing to invest in someone who doesn't know the issues as well, but is willing to learn on the job."

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