Monterey Park : Civil Rights Bill Backed

The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to endorse a Democratic-sponsored civil rights bill strongly opposed by the Bush Administration.

At the urging of Councilwoman Judy Chu, the council passed a resolution in support of the measure, which would reverse a half-dozen Supreme Court rulings that limited workers’ challenges to job discrimination. Democrats are trying to pass the bill with a two-thirds vote--enough to overturn a presidential veto.

Opponents of the bill claim it would encourage employers to set up racial hiring quotas to avoid lawsuits, even though it expressly bans the use of quotas. The Bush Administration introduced a competing bill, which died in committee but may be resurrected, that civil rights groups say does not go far enough.