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Posted on Wed, Jun. 28, 2006

Vista approves law regulating day laborers


Associated Press

VISTA, Calif. - A new municipal law requires people who hire day laborers from public sites to register with the city, display certificates in their car windows and present workers with written terms of employment.

The City Council unanimously approved the law Tuesday during a meeting attended by about 150 people. It will take effect July 28.

City Attorney Darold Pieper said the ordinance, which was tentatively approved earlier this month, would protect workers from unscrupulous employers. Supporters urged the council to set an example for other cities.

"We need to take care of our own people, our own citizens," San Diego resident Anthony Porrello said.

Critics said the ordinance was a racially motivated attempt to eliminate day laborer hiring sites.

"You're putting Vista in the eye of the storm," resident Dick Eiden told the council before the vote. "A big national storm."

Law enforcement had a large, visible presence around City Hall. More than 100 San Diego County sheriff's deputies and detectives were positioned in the area, and people went through a metal detector before entering the council chambers, sheriff's Capt. Glenn Revell said.

A half-mile away from City Hall, about 40 day laborer supporters rallied in a parking lot where the workers gather most mornings.

No incidents of violence were reported, officials said.

Violations of the law will be misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Last month, San Bernardino council members decided against adopting a measure cracking down on illegal immigrants, instead referring the issue to voters.

However, a judge ruled Monday that an anti-illegal immigration activist had not collected enough signatures to hold a city vote on a measure that would, among other things, bar undocumented residents from renting in the city, ban day laborer centers and force day laborers to prove they are legal residents.