VISTA : Striking Laborers Are Arrested

Five striking drywall workers were arrested Tuesday after they allegedly vandalized a construction site in Vista, causing $500 in damage to one unfinished home, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Shadowridge development after four of about 100 laborers picketing at the site entered a gated area and caused the unspecified damage, according to a crime report.

The incident was part of a regional strike involving an estimated 1,000 drywall workers who have been demanding union representation and higher wages in Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Arrested were Armando Gomez, 27, of National City; Jose Jaime Ortiz, 30, of San Diego, and Jose Gregorio Gutierrez, 23, also of National City. They were charged with battery and trespassing.

Also arrested were Francisco Marquez, 24, of San Diego, who was charged with battery, trespassing and vandalism, and Jose Jesus Mendoza, 29, of San Diego, who was charged with battery.

All five are being held at County Jail in Vista.

Strike organizers have said that subcontractors throughout the region have refused to respond to more than 200 letters sent to bring a resolution to the yearlong strike. With the real estate downturn in recent years, workers say they are now paid as little as $300 a week.

Tuesday’s picket lines were reportedly aimed at D.J. Drywall of San Diego, which is at work at the Vista site.