LAGUNA BEACH : Hiring Tightened for Day Laborers
Ending weeks of controversy over how to control where day laborers solicit work, the Laguna Beach City Council has given final approval to a law that will hold employers liable if they hire workers except at a designated hiring lot.
The council made its 3-2 decision after being assured by City Atty. Philip Kohn that the law could hold up in court. Its legality had been questioned because it would allow police to cite employers but not day laborers.
Kohn assured the council that although no court opinions deal specifically with the issue, the measure “does not . . . violate any provision of the Constitution or state law.”
The council vote capped weeks of debate over how to keep day laborers away from residential areas. Despite Laguna Beach’s efforts to encourage dayworkers to gather at a city-designated hiring lot in the 1700 block of Laguna Canyon Road, some workers have insisted on seeking jobs elsewhere, particularly in north Laguna Beach.
The ordinance, which will go into effect in 30 days, prohibits contractors, gardeners and others from hiring workers in public areas or in non-residential parking areas where signs are posted. Offenders face fines and penalties of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Mayor Lida Lenney and Councilman Robert F. Gentry voted against the ordinance.
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