Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson

PHOENIX (By Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee) May 5, 2010 ― First, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson called Wednesday for economic sanctions against Arizona for its tough new immigration law. Then, he changed his mind.

Johnson told The Bee on Wednesday evening that Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon convinced him sanctions would hurt the battered economy in Phoenix.

Gordon, who opposes the Arizona law, said he had already lost five conventions as a result of the new law.

So instead of urging the City Council to look at distancing the city economically from Arizona, Johnson said he would fly to Phoenix to discuss what he describes as an "un-American" and "morally wrong" law with other elected officials.

"This is an example of us taking a step backward," Johnson said. "I want to do what I can do, find a balance and send a strong message."

Other elected officials have followed through on formally cutting economic ties with Arizona.

In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom has prohibited many city employees from traveling to Arizona on city business, and members of the Los Angeles City Council have moved forward on a city boycott of Arizona companies and conventions.

At the Capitol, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the state also should consider a business boycott.

This is an issue that has had a deep impact on Johnson.

Johnson starred for the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team for 12 seasons and still has iconic status in Arizona for helping to lead that franchise to some of its best years.

His popularity was so widespread, Johnson was encouraged to run for office in Arizona before moving back home to Sacramento after his retirement from the NBA.

"This is a personal issue for me, a fundamental issue of justice for a place where I used to live for 12 years," the mayor said.

The mayor said the new immigration law – which requires police to check for immigration status if they suspect a person is in the country illegally – would encourage "discretionary bigotry" and that Arizona needs to be sent a message.

"I still have many friends in Arizona, and know the state is not a land filled with hatred," the mayor wrote on his website's blog. "But sometimes Arizonans need a reminder of their foolishness."

While critics charge that the law will encourage racial profiling, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has touted the legislation as an essential tool against dangerous drug cartels from Mexico.

This is not the first time Johnson said he has been disappointed with his former state.

In 1988, Johnson was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Phoenix Suns.

A year earlier, then-Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a move Johnson said made him ashamed of his new home.

The NFL yanked Super Bowl XXVII, played in 1993, from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe after residents in Arizona voted against an initiative to create the holiday.

Voters eventually approved the holiday in 1992.

"This took me back to my time in Phoenix and I remembered how divisive (the King holiday debate) was," Johnson said. "And we have a very diverse community here, and as an elected official I felt I had an obligation to speak out."

It was unclear Wednesday what, if any, contracts the city has with businesses based in Arizona.

A resolution removing economic connections with the state would require City Council approval.

Before ditching his proposal, Johnson had e-mailed his colleagues on the City Council to gauge their support for his proposal and to ask for their ideas.

Some members of the council said they were supportive of Johnson's pitch.

"It might be symbolic, but I think it's an important gesture in standing up to racism, standing up to intolerance and things that are un-American," said Councilman Kevin McCarty.

McCarty added that the city should still consider a resolution – even a symbolic one – to cut ties with Arizona.