SoCal Gas Vows to Speed Minority Promotions : Utility: The company also plans to award more contracts to firms owned by minorities and women.

Southern California Gas Co. pledged Monday to speed up the promotion of minorities throughout its management ranks and to award more business to women and minority contractors.

The utility, long regarded as ahead of most of its peers in affirmative action, said its newly unveiled goals stemmed from recommendations by a 20-member committee it set up in January to address minority concerns.

“We voluntarily convened the panel to help us better understand and embrace the region’s new cultural climate so that we may successfully run our company as a competitive business in the years to come,” said Richard D. Farman, SoCal Gas chairman and chief executive.

The utility said it intends to employ “people of color” in 18% of its senior executive positions, 28% of its upper-management positions and 35% of its middle-management jobs by the year 2000. Minorities now account for 6% of the company’s senior executive jobs, 20% of upper management and 26% of middle management.

SoCal Gas, the nation’s largest gas utility, also said it aims to award 25% of its contracting dollars by the year 1995 to firms owned by women and minorities. This year, minority and women contractors are expected to win more than 18.5% of the $360 million being paid to suppliers.

Southern California Edison, which had been criticized for its minority employment and subcontracting policies, two years ago announced similar plans.

Maureen Lynch, president of Local 132 of the Utility Workers Union, which represents 5,000 SoCal Gas employees, said SoCal Gas’ announcement may have been “public posturing.”

Lynch said the utility has done a relatively good job in hiring and doing business with minorities previously. But, she said, SoCal Gas may be trying to blunt criticism of its closing in May of 12 branch payment offices and its recent decision to charge a $25 service fee for home visits scheduled at specific times. A company spokesman disputed her claims.

The utility’s announcement was hailed as “a very positive step” by Robert Gnaizda, a public interest lawyer who has pushed California utilities to hire and promote more minorities.

“They’re moving in the right direction, and I think they’ll influence other utilities,” said Gnaizda, a partner in the San Francisco law firm Public Advocates who lauded the company’s past performance in minority hiring and contracting.