LAGUNA BEACH : Council Won’t Move Worker Pickup Site

Despite objections from Laguna Beach business owners and residents, the current pickup spot for dayworkers on Laguna Canyon Road will not be moved, council members voted Tuesday night.

But $8,800 will be spent to upgrade and improve the safety of the existing site, across from Laguna Beach Lumber Co.

Joe Jahraus, owner of Laguna Beach Lumber, disagreed that the site can be made safe. Jahraus said there have been three accidents involving dayworkers this year.

“Three weeks ago, one was literally knocked out of his shoes,” he said. “Unless you put them in a cage across the road and give the contractor a key to let them out, they’ll go where they want.”

Council members who all support the presence of dayworkers in Laguna Beach, agreed the spot is dangerous, but said there was no better alternative spot.

“We can’t move them too far from the bus stop,” Purcell said.

Until last year, dayworkers in Laguna congregated on sidewalks in residential areas along North Coast Highway. After residents complained, the city moved them to a site near the Act V parking lot on Laguna Canyon Road.

When the lot was needed for summer tourist buses, workers were asked to move to the current location across from the lumber company.

Referring to a staff report of other potential sites on Laguna Canyon Road, Police Chief Neil Purcell said the current location is best because workers who gather there would not have to be moved during the summer.

“None of us has ever suggested we wouldn’t allow dayworkers in this city,” said Councilwoman Martha Collison. “We moved them (to an industrial area) because they impacted the neighborhood. Right or wrong, it’s a decision we made. Now we’re at a crossroads.”

Councilman Neil Fitzpatrick blamed contractors for “encouraging the illegal situation. We need ‘No Stopping’ signs across the street, we need to ticket and we need a sign on the spot to explain the rules of the game.”

To make the site less dangerous, city workers will erect “No Parking” signs and mark the area as the designated spot for day-labor hiring. Flyers will be distributed to employers explaining regulations, and police in the area will be increased.

Other plans for the hiring site include construction of a paved, 12-foot horseshoe-shaped driveway and facade to be placed in front of the portable toilet, officials said.