http://www.eltecolote.org/071702/news.html#laborer

S.F.'s Day Laborer Program up for Public Bid
Mayor's office cites mismanagement

By R.M. Arrieta
el Tecolote staff writer

San Francisco wouldn't be the city it is if there wasn't always some sort of a political upheaval going on. In the Mission District add class, race, privilege and bump it up against the poorest of the poor monolingual immigrants of color, throw in misperceptions, missed deadlines, Nimby's, activists, and a prickly city hall and you've got a formula that's bound to create a stink at one point or another.
The latest brouhaha concerns the Day Labor Program and the Mayor's Office of Community Development (MOCD). The MOCD has decided to put the San Francisco Day Labor Program up for bid. The Day Labor Program is primarily funded through the City and County of San Francisco as well as through private sources. In the past, the city renewed the funding, administered through La Raza Centro Legal, each year without an application process.

By all accounts, two incidents finally put the program on the MOCD's radar.

Last month, El Tecolote reported about a protest by day laborers over what they said was excessive ticketing of those who stand along a two-block stretch of street in which cars funnel off the freeway on to Cesar Chavez Blvd. The day laborers also were upset over alleged harassment by some officers. They marched and then presented their case to Mission District police captain Greg Corrales at a noisy protest in front of the station. Then later that month, the group held a protest at city hall and presented Mayor Willie Brown with a Father's Day card with demands that police stop ticketing day laborers on Cesar Chavez street and stop moving them illegally off public sidewalks.

Shortly after the two-pronged protest, the program was put up for public bid.

Day Labor Program administrators call it retribution for political organizing.

The Mayor's Office calls it a needed move because the Day Labor Program is being mismanaged.

"It's not about political stances, it's about management issues," said P.J. Johnston, spokesperson for the Mayor's Office.

Safety Concerns

El Tecolote was told by Rene Saucedo, director of the Day Labor Program: "Then why at this moment, immediately after a worker protest would they choose to put the Day Labor Program up for bid? There's no reason other than political vindictiveness."

Johnston said the question is whether the interests of the day laborers are being served. "There is the ongoing problem in terms of securing a new headquarters and location for the day laborers to gather. There are safety concerns about laborers standing near the freeway. There are disputes with neighbors and with law enforcement." Johnston said the idea that MOCD is putting the contract out for bid because of retribution is "preposterous."

He also claims that the program lost a $50,000 grant through the state because it missed a deadline. The money, said Johnston, would have funded a full-time worker.

But Saucedo said the program did apply for funding to hire a job developer, but that the grant administrators felt the program did not have sufficient time to comply with the contract. "We were in the understanding that they were going to allow us sufficient time to comply, but they didn't allow is to do that," said Saucedo.

As far as the question over mismanagement, Saucedo explained that the program has a contract with the city to run the program -- a plan that was put together by the MOCD. "We have exceeded all our goals under that contract. There is no evidence to support allegations that we have mismanaged the program. Those arguments are a smokescreen," she said.

Location hassle

Another bone of contention with the Mayor's office, said Johnston, is that the new location for the program still has not been secured. "The contractor seems totally unable or unwilling to secure the new location. Why can't Rene seal the deal? Why is she more concerned about protesting at City Hall than securing decent working conditions for her clients?"

According to Saucedo however, the lease has been signed for the building.

"What's holding things up is the public process. The Mayor's office gave us a schedule that we have to abide by in order to get into the building. This includes getting the necessary permits, and going through a public community process, including going to the planning commission on July 25th."

She added: "The Mayor's Office knows we are on this schedule. There is nothing we could have done differently. These are requirements given to us by the Mayor's office. These are the hoops we have to go through. If it were up to us we would have been in there months ago."

Calls to both Pam Davis, director of the MOCD as well as Ana Maria Loya, executive director of La Raza Centro Legal, were not returned to El Tecolote by the publication deadline.
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virtually every business along this stretch that connects highway 101 with highway 280 is dying because of the presence of these people.Only the local corner liquor stores are still doing well.Drug sales are rampant along this stretch as well and the local parks and 2 private nursery schools in close proximity are their bathrooms and camping grounds.No citizens walk this street anymore even though it is one of the busiest stretches of the city.Ms.Saucedo is the "Joan of Arc" for the unwanted illegal "day laborers".