Embattled Chu Airs Bilingual Hiring Plan : Politics: Councilwoman tries to counter criticism from some Chinese residents after her vote to fire the city manager.

Councilwoman Judy Chu, under attack from some members of the Chinese community for voting to fire City Manager Mark Lewis last week, attempted some political damage control Thursday by announcing her support of a preferential hiring plan for bilingual employees.

Chu proposed the hiring plan during a Thursday press conference heavily attended by the Chinese-language media. She said she called the conference to counter criticism from a fellow council member, Sam Kiang, who accused her of ignoring the needs of Chinese-speaking residents.

Her announcement followed a Wednesday demonstration in front of City Hall in which about 100 people--primarily elderly Chinese residents--criticized Chu for making the motion to fire Lewis on Monday. They staged another protest Thursday, and planned to picket again Friday.

Chu joined Mayor Betty Couch and Councilwoman Marie T. Purvis in firing Lewis, providing the swing vote needed to remove him. The three blamed him for low employee morale and the resignations of several city department heads.

They also said he bent hiring rules and gave unfair salary raises without following proper procedures.

Lewis, who was removed from his post immediately but technically suspended for 30 days to allow him time to find a new job, has said he will appeal the decision.

The protesters said Chu’s vote against Lewis meant she opposed programs the city manager had promoted--most notably, a proposal to give preference to bilingual applicants for 911 dispatcher jobs.

Chu actually had voted in favor of the hiring policy, which was rejected earlier this month by the city’s Personnel Board. Kiang, who proposed the policy, wants to change city codes to permit the council to override the board’s rejection, but Chu said she will refuse to go along.

Instead, she proposed an alternate plan Thursday that would extend preferential treatment to most bilingual workers and job applicants, not just 911 dispatchers.

She proposed a $125-a-month bonus for bilingual employees instead of the $150 bonus in the plan rejected by the Personnel Board. Her plan also would give bilingual job applicants an automatic 10-point examination score advantage over candidates who speak only English.

“There has been a lot of misinformation because of miscommunication,” Chu said. “I have always been in support of 911 (bilingual services). I have never wavered.”

Representatives of the Monterey Park General Employees’ Assn., who had lobbied the Personnel Board to reject Kiang’s plan, said they support Chu’s idea because it does not single out dispatchers.

Chu’s plan also includes a wider range of languages eligible for extra bilingual pay. Chu’s proposal will come before the City Council on Aug. 12.

Kiang has accused Chu of ignoring needs for bilingual services because she refused to override the Personnel Board’s rejection of his plan. On Wednesday, he stepped up the attack, saying there are “certain connections” between her decision to fire Lewis and the 911 issue.

Chu on Thursday also disclosed an additional factor in her vote to fire Lewis. When seeking an assistant city manager last year, she said, Lewis received about 100 applications for the job, but chose to interview only Asian applicants.

Chu said she learned of this only recently and was appalled when she found out. Lewis said he does not remember whether he chose only Asians to interview.

The job ultimately went to Susan Chow, a Chinese-American assistant to the city manager of Buena Park.

Kiang said Chu’s criticism of Lewis in the matter provides additional evidence of her insensitivity to Chinese residents’ needs.

“The people perceive Mark as being friendly towards the Chinese community,” Kiang said. “Mark helped to push for some changes here . . . for instance, hiring an assistant city manager that speaks Chinese, that bridges the gap. (Chu) was against that one.”

Chu lashed back, accusing Kiang of exploiting the issue to damage her reputation in the Chinese community. She said she was always supportive of Chow, and merely objected to the process Lewis used to hire her.

“Sam is trying to paint me as anti-Chinese, that the whole thing against Mark is anti-Chinese,” Chu said. “I’ve always been supportive of the Chinese community. That’s an understatement, of course. Unfortunately, what we see here are distortions that are politically motivated.”