Hiring Center Opens to a Rush of Job-Seekers : Labor: Officials are upbeat even though the first day of operation brought few work offers from would-be employers.

For the lucky few among the 100 or so men gathered at the first hiring center for day laborers in the San Fernando Valley, Tuesday held a few hours work--gardening, auto repairs, maybe some light carpentry.

But for most of the men gathered at the city-operated center, Tuesday was just a day to get acquainted with the dusty North Hollywood lot meant to replace the street corners and parking lots where many now wait daily for jobs.

The center, on Sherman Way between Strathern and Saticoy streets--the second such gathering place for workers in Los Angeles--opened Tuesday and although the laborers flooded in, the work trickled. By mid-morning, three people had hired men from the site. Even so, organizers were optimistic.

“It takes a little bit of time,” said Eduardo Gonzalez, assistant coordinator for the center, which is run by the Community Development Department. He said that on the day a similar center opened in Harbor City last fall only one employer showed up.

The site is intended to serve the 150 to 200 laborers who congregated on Lankershim Boulevard between Strathern and Saticoy streets and reduce problems caused by loitering workers. The center, which is funded by the city, costs about $3,500 a month to operate.

Countywide, several communities have expressed concern over the growing numbers of day laborers congregating on streets. Shop owners and residents have complained of workers leaving trash and scaring away customers as they wait for contractors and other potential employers to drive by and offer them work.

Men at the center sign in each morning and as employers come looking for workers, the laborers’ names are selected by lottery to ensure fairness, said Bill Molina, management analyst for the Community Development Department.

Many men arrived at the center early on buses sent out to collect them from their usual spots. The morning was still cool enough that hot coffee was served. Most men spent the morning under striped canopies and chatted as they munched on free pastries.

It was a change for Andres Alfaro, 33, of Sun Valley, who is accustomed to being chased out of the convenience store parking lot on Lankershim where he spends most mornings waiting for work. He said he is a painter, but accepts whatever work he can find to support himself and his wife, who is pregnant with their first child.

He said he felt “really good that someone is looking out for the men on the corner.”

Someone must. Alfaro has yet to collect his pay for a week’s work done last month. Another employer wrote him a $90 check that bounced.

To combat those types of problems that day laborers said are common, the center will provide free legal advice to workers and help them recover money owed them, Molina said.

“It feels better here,” said Luis Alonzo Sandoval, 40, of Sun Valley.

Most of the men echoed Sandoval’s sentiments, but there were concerns. The biggest was immigration. Many of the men are from Mexico or Central America, and some were worried about surprise inspections by immigration officers.

Leo Guerra of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, an immigrant rights group that has worked closely with the city in developing the center, said he did not expect any problems and cited the lack of incidents at the Harbor City site.

Not everybody chose to go to the new center to look for work, however.

A few miles away, in a convenience store parking lot at Victory Boulevard and Kester Street, about 20 men crowded around a pickup truck whose driver wanted some men to help him move.

Jose Cedillo, 38, of North Hollywood explained that the haphazard method was preferable to more organized ones. Aware of the center, he said he feared getting lost in the shuffle. “It’s good, but there are too many of us to fit in there,” he said, adding that he wants to remain where regular employers know they can find him.

“We’re not looking for a big salary,” said Simon Rivera, 26, of North Hollywood as he waited at the center. “We just want to have an opportunity to get a decent wage for a decent day’s work.”