ORANGE : City to Buy Parcel for a Hiring Hall

The city has reached agreement to buy railroad property that it plans to use for a hiring hall for day laborers, Mayor Don E. Smith said Monday.

Linda Hill, sales manager for Southern Pacific Transportation Co. property in Orange and Los Angeles counties, confirmed the agreement, but said she cannot discuss the sale price.

The purchase will be made through eminent domain proceedings because it is financially advantageous for both sides, according to Luis Rodriguez, senior assistant city attorney.

“It’s a friendly condemnation,” Hill said.

Rodriguez said the city hopes to take possession of the 9,000-square-foot property, at the northwest corner of McPherson Road and Center Street, by mid-February.

March 1 is the target date for opening the hiring hall, which is scheduled to provide language classes and other services for day laborers, Rodriguez said. City officials have said the center will be open to legal residents only.

The City Council approved the hiring hall in September along with two ordinances aimed at stopping the hundreds of workers who gather along East Chapman Avenue and surrounding streets each morning looking for day jobs.

The ordinances, which carry maximum penalties of a $500 fine and a six-month jail sentence for violators, were scheduled to take effect Oct. 19, but their enforcement has been suspended until the hiring hall is open.