A good news story for our side. Great reading and full of facts on how these lousy centers get your tax payers dollars forever and ever. Other city's BEWARE! No centers anywhere.
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City sponsored Thousand Oaks Day Laborer Center closed by taxpayers

History was made in Thousand Oaks California on the corner of Hampshire Boulevard and Royal Oaks Street, Saturday July 12. Hundreds of illegal alien day laborers have been crowded in this peaceful city owned park area along Hampshire Road in Old Thousand Oaks. For many years, hundreds of possible illegal alien day laborers have littered this area. Sadly, this rundown area is the first thing outside tourists see when tourists exit the 101 Freeway on their way to visit the state-of-the-art Thousand Oaks City Theater complex. This Thousand Oaks city sponsored day laborer center was essentially CLOSED for that one day.

Ventura county residents, taxpayers and voters will recall that the Thousand Oaks City Council has spent $89,000, appropriated through the city's Community Development Block Grant Fund to build the center and with an annual maintenance site cost is about $20,000. That is taxpayer's $100,00 spent a year costs to have this DLC (Day Laborer Center) open. Also to help the day laborers further, a social service agency based in Oxnard, provides English classes to the day workers. The program is being funded with a $25,000. All the while other proud city fun traditions like the annual 40 plus years-old Conejo Valley Days parade and festival cannot be held for lack of city funding. Also there are many press articles demonstrating that local police and fire city services continue to suffer from lack of city budgetary support.

Local voting taxpayers must be reminded about the beleaguered LONG history of this controversial day laborer center. For years, day laborers had gathered at the former site of a hardware store on Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Fairview Road. After the store closed, the hundreds of workers continued coming to Fairview and Crescent Way, a residential neighborhood. Local homeowners there complained, however, and the Thousand Oaks City council considered 18 other locations before relocating the city-sponsored laborer center two blocks away to the city-owned park greenbelt on Royal Oaks Drive in June 2002. "There's no perfect site," said Assistant City Manager Scott Mitnick. "We took it out of a residential area and put it in a safer location. It's a complicated issue." LINK:

http://www.toacorn.com/News/2004/062..._page/002.html

Also back in 2004, Shanté Durisseau, a local taxpayer/voter and member of the Old Town Neighborhood Improvement Association apparently disapproved of the growing disruptive delinquent city day laborer site saying, "I resent the city of Thousand Oaks' continued support of the laborers camp in Old Town Thousand Oaks. It is inappropriate for groups of men to gather daily in a residential neighborhood with families and children (**NOTE: A Montesorri {elementary} school is a block away). This site not only attracts workers but derelicts and unsavory individuals. This would not be tolerated or allowed to fester in more upscale communities like Dos Vientos. The city has bent over backwards to accommodate these workers, spending thousands of dollars to install temporary toilets, curbs, tables and benches. But we can't even get our streets cleaned regularly (or get derelict cars towed). We have complained about the loitering, public drunkenness, men urinating in the street and drug use. It seems as if these workers have more rights and privileges than the taxpaying citizens in this community. .... We have found ourselves in the "ghetto of Thousand Oaks." LINK:

http://www.toacorn.com/News/2004/0729/Letters/008.html

The nationally known public advocate group, Judicial Watch examined this controversial city sponsored day laborer center. Last July of '07, Judicial Watch sent an official letter of complaint to Thousand Oaks Mayor, Andrew P. Fox. Judicial Watch Inc is an organization that seeks to promote accountability in government and fidelity to the rule of law. Judicial Watch has won many landmark court cases against governmental defendants. The Judicial Watch letter said, "We are writing to advise you of serious legal concerns relating to your city's funding and operation of a day laborer center. In records obtained by the use of the California Public Records Act, we have determined that the City of Thousand Oaks has expended in excess of $133,000 of citizen taxpayer funds from 2001 to 2007 to subsidize criminal activity at Day Laborer site in violation of federal immigration law. It cannot be reasonably disputed that users of the Thousand Oaks day laborer site include undocumented workers. Studies conducted around the nation have confirmed that day laborers are predominantly persons not legally present or authorized to work in the United Sates...As you know, it is unlawful for employers to hire undocumented workers.... Moreover, by establishing and operating the proposed day laborer site, the city is likely violating Federal law....For the city to use taxpayer resources in this manner is akin to the city operating its own red light' district or illegal drug market to enable persons to participate in such activities to have a safe, orderly, well-regulated environment in which to engage in their illicit transactions....While the intentions behind the site may be well-meaning, the establishment and operation of this site is not proper use of taxpayer resources..." The original PDF file is on the Judicial Watch Internet website. LINK:

http://www.judicialwatch.org/6370.shtml

But, on Saturday July 12, the residents took back the park and streets! About 30 illegals were in their area with their bright orange construction vest wearing host-leader. Their DLC host is in charge of directing the labor negotiations between illegal workers and outlaw local employers. Most of the Ventura County Sheriff law enforcement attention that day was mis-directed towards the quiet respectful eight activists caring American flags and sign placards on the sidewalk waving to the passers-by. The deputies would not allow protestors to hang their banners from city owned park poles and warned of issuing street jaywalking tickets to this morning's activists. The sheriff deputies ordered these neighborhood voter activists to stay well away from the larger crowd of illegal day laborers, all the while small groups of illegal day laborers were given the freedom to jaywalk, and walk through the activist's sidewalk ranks. Many laborers made routine trips to the neighborhood corner liquor store all day. Strangely, the illegals got no verbal warning or even a harsh look from the four Ventura deputies policing this event.

The interested activist attendees were SzinWestLA' and Ode Glory' while the majority of Ventura County residents voters included Sokolkiev', Tim55', Standing Alone', Small and Mighty', Fight Racism' and Seenitall'. (**NOTE: A majority are ex-Save Our State members.) All through the day, hundreds of residents giving the positive thumbs-up' and happy car honking from local drivers was intoxicating to experience by the anti-illegal alien protestors on Royal Oaks Street area. But, some shameful employers tried to circumvent federal immigration and state labor laws with only four very feeble attempts at hiring, so this center was essentially CLOSED for that day. When an outlaw employer tried to initiate an illegal hire, several protestors walked up into the site with their video cameras filming the process. Video has been loaded on the Internet. LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpw4EvhWeYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s:sho...&feature=email

That seemed to quickly cancel the operation between illegal laborer and outlaw employer. All outlaw employers left the area empty handed under the angry bitter eyes of the law breaking illegal laborers. Some of these turned away employers left disapprovingly yelling out their car windows at the protesting sidewalk residents using the same old mindless epithets. These ridiculous employers comments were always screamed while the frustrated speaker was speeding away. Another outlaw employer attempted and failed to throw something at the protesting residents near very end of the event. No police action was taken.

It was a beautiful day and the tree-covered area was ideal. It was a complete success because the anti-illegal alien immigration issue was opened and shared with hundreds of local car drivers and passers-by. The city operated day laborer center was shut down completely. Another event should be planned in weeks to keep these illegal matters in the minds of the local residents/taxpayers/voters and to stop the Day Laborer Center illegal operations. Come out and join your neighbors in this honorable mission by getting involved. Now is the time!
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LINK:
http://www.venturacountystar.com/new...sand-oaks-day/