Police to Cite Employers of Dayworkers : Policy: Beginning next week, Costa Mesa officers to step up their efforts against violators of curbside hiring ordinance.

Amid criticism that Latino dayworkers have been unfairly targeted during enforcement of the city’s curbside hiring ordinance, Costa Mesa police have decided to begin issuing citations next week to the employers instead of to the workers.

Officers have issued 29 warnings in the past three weeks to employers who have tried to hire workers in Lions Park, and police will begin citing and arresting them on Tuesday, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Jerry Holloway said.

Latino community leaders hailed the decision.

“It just didn’t seem fair to only go after the workers,” said Roy Alvarado, founder of a Latino civic group and a newly appointed member of the city’s Human Relations Committee. “If you arrest the addict, you usually go after the dealer too.”

Police officials said they also plan to mount one or more “sting” operations using undercover officers posing as workers.

Similar tactics in which undercover officers have posed as employers to ensnare dayworkers have come under fire from civil liberties lawyers and immigrants rights activists. They argue that such “stings” may violate constitutional rights.

Community leaders have also argued that the stings, which have netted mostly Latino dayworkers, erode confidence in police.

However, police say such actions are necessary because large numbers of dayworkers continue to congregate at Lions Park and other street places to look for work rather than at the city’s hiring hall.

The dayworker ordinance was enacted in 1989. Both employers and laborers are prohibited from engaging work on public streets. Although hundreds of people have been cited, only a few of those arrested have been employers.

Since May 1, for example, of about 45 people to be cited under the ordinance, only four or five were employers, said Officer Tom Pipes, who mans the substation on the city’s west side.

The City Council noted the unbalanced numbers and instructed police to step up enforcement against employers.

“Hopefully, between citing the workers and the employers, we will accomplish our goal of getting those who now use the park to use the hiring center,” Holloway said.