SIERRA MADRE : Council Seeks to Prohibit Day Laborer Solicitations

Six months after city officials began trying to get day laborers out of Memorial Park, the City Council has unanimously approved prohibiting job solicitations anywhere in the city.

The council instructed its staff to come up with an ordinance enacting the prohibition before its Sept. 8 meeting.

Residents have complained about the men, most of whom come to Sierra Madre by bus to meet with contractors and residents for temporary employment. Complaints include dirty restrooms in Memorial Park, trampled vegetation, harassment of women and residents’ fears of using the park when the men are present.

“I’m frustrated,” Councilman Clem Bartolai said Tuesday. “We’ve looked at so many angles to deal with this and there isn’t a lot a city can do.”