SAN FRANCISCO -- Gov. Jerry Brown said on Monday he remains concerned about stalled negotiations between Bay Area transit workers and management, but stopped short of saying he would support new legislation to prevent another strike by the union.

In early August, Brown ordered a 60-day cooling off period for management and the BART union to work out a deal. Since that time, negotiations have stalled.

Senate GOP leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) asked the governor to call lawmakers back to Sacramento to pass a measure that would strip the union of its right to strike. Concord Democratic state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier has publicly talked about similar legislation. Brown, speaking to reporters after an electric vehicle event in San Francisco where he was joined by longtime friend and electric-car driver Francis Ford Coppola, said he was prepared to back such a measure earlier this year, but that neither side seemed interested at the time.

“The matter was discussed and rejected,” Brown told reporters on Monday. “Neither management nor the union showed any appetite for binding arbitration.”


Brown said he was still deciding whether to support a request from the city of Oakland to receive special permission to pass local gun controls. Such local ordinances are prohibited by state law. A measure by Oakland Democratic Assemblyman Rob Bonta would grant Brown’s hometown that power to help deal with a murder rate that is the highest in the state.

“I want to read the bill but I’m not offering any opinion about gun legislation,” Brown said. “Nobody has lobbied me yet. I only know about it because I read about it in the press.” Brown will appear at an event in downtown Oakland later Monday afternoon.

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anthony.york@latimes.com

@anthonyyorklat