http://www.10news.com/news/9595758/detail.html

Vista Day Laborer Law Goes Into Effect

POSTED: 6:49 pm PDT July 28, 2006
UPDATED: 7:32 pm PDT July 28, 2006

VISTA, Calif. -- Employers will be required to register with the city before hiring laborers off the streets of Vista under an ordinance that goes into effect Friday.

“We usually have 70 to 80 out here every day, about 20 get hired, but with Minutemen and protests, today, none of them got hired,” said sales clerk Diana Ortiz told 10News.

The Vista City Council approved the ordinance, which drew activists from both sides of the debate over illegal immigration, last month.

“It provides hours they work, the type of work they’ll be doing. We’ve had complaints from workers about not getting paid. It protects them as well,” said Assistant to the City Manager Patrick Johnson.

For years, day laborers have stood on the lawn outside the Vons store on South Santa Fe and Escondido avenues, with employers passing by to pick up those they want to hire for the day.

But starting Friday, employing workers in such a way will be against the law in the North County city.

The ordinance requires employers to register with the city before hiring laborers who wait for work on local street corners.

Employers also would be required to post the registration on their vehicles and give laborers a "term sheet" describing the job and its location, rate of pay and employer contact information.

There was concern, briefly, that there might be a confrontation between the Minutemen and whoever showed up looking for laborers, but it was a quiet Friday morning.

No one stopped.

“Some of these potential employers choose to ignore law, and we're here to show our presence,” said Michael Spencer of the Vista Citizens Brigade.

Only four people have registered thus far.

There's no charge to sign up, but there are penalties if you ignore the law from escalating fines to possible jail time.

The plan is to issue warning tickets until Aug. 7th, after 10 days, and then citations would be issued.

The Day Laborer Law is being challenged in federal court.

Two civil rights groups want it declared unconstitutional.

Papers have been filed, but there is no decision yet from a judge.