California Insider

Here's today's column, on the brutal behind-the-scenes battle over attempts to repeal a law limiting the ability of school districts to contract with private firms to deliver public services. It proves once again that, as my predecessor John Jacobs used to say, politics ain't beanbag.

The California Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, has struck down a law passed in 2000 requiring cities and counties to submit to binding arbitration to settle contract disputes with law enforcement unions. The long-contentious issue was a major boon to Gray Davis' first campaign for governor, as public safety unions flocked to his side in part because he was with them on labor issues, including binding arbitration. His Republican predecessors, Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian, though staunchly pro-law enforcement, had refused to sign legislation overriding the authority of city and county elected officials to negotiate contracts with their police and firefighters. Davis' Republican foe in 1998, then-Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, also refused to go along, and suffered political damage because of it. Justice Ming Chin, writing the opinion for the court, said the law violated a state constituional provision that prohibts the Legislature from delegating municipal functions to a private party. The ruling won't affect agencies, such as the city of Sacramento, that adopted binding arbitration locally. Here is an LA Times story on the ruling by Maura Dolan.