Thread: Many laborers, few employers after ordinance takes effect

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/08 ... 8_1_06.txt

Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Last modified Tuesday, August 1, 2006 2:14 AM PDT


Many laborers, few employers after ordinance takes effect

By: CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer

VISTA ---- The first sign that a new Vista city ordinance that took effect Friday was fewer people looking to hire day laborers.

The new law requires people who hire workers off the street to register with the city, display a certificate in their car window and provide written terms of employment to the workers. As of last week, four employers had registered.

Early Friday morning, code compliance officers began handing out informational fliers to the laborers congregating around a shopping center parking lot.

Sheriff's deputies kept watch as activists on both sides of the illegal immigration debate wandered about, waiting to see what would happen.

For several hours Friday, hiring was stagnant. Pickup trucks with yard tools or paint buckets in the back would occasionally drive through the lot, drawing hopeful looks from the laborers. But the job offers didn't come.

When the crowds started to disperse around 10 a.m., city officials said they had not seen a single day-labor hiring, either by registered employers or those who have not registered.

Patrick Johnson, assistant to the city manager, said the city would have at least one officer at the site for the next two weeks, then re-evaluate the need. Code compliance officers will give warnings to first-time offenders during the first 10 days. After that, employers who hire day laborers without registering will be hit with citations, he said.

Anti-illegal immigration activists called Friday's hiring drought a victory for Vista.

"The people (who want immigration laws enforced) are getting what they've been asking for," said San Diego Minutemen leader Jeff Schwilk.

"It's a good start," said Tom Taylor, who nodded toward a group of workers standing in the shade. "But as you can see, there are still plenty of them here."

Only one employer was seen picking up a day laborer Saturday, and he was subsequently stopped by a city code compliance officer and handed a flier outlining the new rules.

Erubey Lopez of the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network said that the city would not be able to maintain a constant presence at the shopping center and the laborers weren't going to just fade away.

"This is not sustainable," he said.

Lopez added that city officials have legitimate concerns about workers using the high-profile shopping center as a pickup spot, but members of the community should work together to find a "strategic place" for day-labor hiring.

Andres Villanueva from Oaxaca, Mexico, was among a group of laborers who said they were not aware that the law was taking effect Friday. Villanueva said the ordinance could help workers who have been cheated out of pay, but feared it would keep employers away.

Some workers said the rules wouldn't stop them from seeking work in the parking lot. But others said it has been hard to find jobs there in recent months, with anti-illegal immigration groups stopping by to discourage hiring.

Day laborer Jose Lopez, also from Oaxaca, said six workers left for Arizona just two weeks ago. Others are talking about going to Madera to work, he said.

Juan Jose, a worker who declined to give his last name, said he is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"I'll keep coming. If there are no jobs, then I will start to think where else to go," he said. "But I will be here tomorrow and the next day."

Day-labor supporter Fredi Avalos said she has not registered as an employer because the application form, which requires an address and phone number, becomes a public record, and she fears harassment from the anti-illegal immigration crowd.

"I need my privacy," she said.

City Attorney Darold Pieper has repeatedly said the ordinance was designed to protect the laborers from unscrupulous employers. Critics, however, have questioned the city's motivation and called it a backdoor attempt to discourage the hiring of day laborers.

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. have asked the federal court for a temporary restraining order against the city, as part of a lawsuit alleging that the law is unconstitutional. No decision has been made on that request.

-- Staff writer Brenda Duran contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 631-6621 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.

wonder if they will now sign up for welfare?

added to homepage

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City Attorney Darold Pieper has repeatedly said the ordinance was designed to protect the laborers from unscrupulous employers. Critics, however, have questioned the city's motivation and called it a backdoor attempt to discourage the hiring of day laborers.

Good out of the box thinking by Vista's officials. Now let's multiply this by a thousand cities and watch the ACLU try to keep up.

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. have asked the federal court for a temporary restraining order against the city, as part of a lawsuit alleging that the law is unconstitutional.

When is our side going to start flooding the courts with various lawsuits. It seems many pro-illegal immigrant groups are filing lawsuits for every action they view as being against their cause - why aren't anti-illegal supporters and groups doing the same thing? Don't we have the right to expect enforcement of our immigration laws, a quality education for our children (non-English speaking students are draining the system), ensure our tax paying dollars don't go to support illegal immigrants, etc., etc. (I could go on and on). Where are our lawsuits? Let's meet fire with fire!