Sierra Madre : Offer on Day Laborers

Two workers from Sierra Madre Congregational Church offered to help resolve problems created by day laborers soliciting employment in the city, including paying for sodding trampled grass in Memorial Park.

Officials took no action on the offer. Last month, the City Council ordered its staff to draw up an ordinance prohibiting day laborers from soliciting work. City Atty. Charles Martin is collecting ordinances from other Southern California cities as models, officials said.

Several people spoke against the proposed prohibition, including Moises Escalante of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

But Mayor Gary B. Adams replied that “if Sierra Madre looks the other way and ignores this, the numbers of (illegal immigrants) go up.”