La Mirada : Task Force Will Examine Day-Laborer Problem

The City Council is expected on Tuesday to name a 20-member task force to consider alternatives to having day laborers congregate on street corners to look for work.

Residents near La Mirada Boulevard and Imperial Highway have complained that their neighborhood has become an outdoor employment center. People soliciting work at a nearby shopping center shifted to residential streets after the center banned the laborers earlier this year.

At a recent council meeting, about 60 residents called for a task force to deal with the issue, and some said the city should establish a site where workers can gather to look for jobs.

City Manager Gary Sloan said the task force will decide whether the problem is confined to La Mirada or is a regional concern requiring cooperation with Los Angeles County and other cities.