HUNTINGTON BEACH : Petition Protests Dayworker Crowds

A petition signed by about 150 residents has been submitted to the Huntington Beach City Council, urging officials to do something about dayworkers who line city streets seeking jobs. Richard Nowacki presented the petition to the council at its Monday night meeting. The petition asserted that Slater Avenue has become a “danger to public access” because of men and women who stand along the street, waiting to be hired for day jobs by people driving by.

Unlike some other cities in the county that have set up hiring halls or job hot lines, Huntington Beach has no comprehensive program to help dayworkers.

In addition to presenting the petition, Nowacki gave the City Council a copy of the state law that forbids solicitation on public streets.

Nowacki charged that Slater Avenue is full of street solicitors virtually every weekday. He said dayworkers on the street have become “a problem that the city of Huntington Beach has let grow out of control.”

As one suggested solution, Nowacki called for the city to establish “a dayworker center to document those workers who really want to work to support their family and make a better living.”