OAKLAND; Group sues airport over concessionaires

A conservative legal group has sued Oakland International Airport, saying it is violating state law by giving preferences to concessionaires based on their race or sex.

The Port of Oakland, which runs the airport, "categorizes concession businesses based upon the race and sex of the owners and then grants preferential treatment to, and discriminates against, individuals based on those immutable characteristics," said the suit, which was filed Friday in Alameda County Superior Court.

The suit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of a Sacramento group called the American Civil Rights Foundation. It claims that the airport is violating Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative that outlawed race-based preferences in public contracting in California.

Airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said Monday that officials had not seen the suit. But she added that "under the current concessions program, which is federally approved, Oakland International Airport has never used quotas to achieve its nondiscrimination goals."

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