LAGUNA BEACH : Stricter Dayworker Law to Be Pushed

Acknowledging that a city law aimed at controlling where day laborers congregate is not working, a task force will recommend Tuesday that the City Council adopt a stricter ordinance, members said.

“We feel something has to be done to alleviate the immediate problem on our street corners, because the condition has not improved” since the new law went into effect, task force member Ilse Lenschow said.

That law holds employers liable for hiring workers anywhere except at a city-designated hiring lot on Laguna Canyon Road, but it does not punish the workers. The group has instead endorsed an ordinance that would hold both employers and workers responsible.

While support for a stricter law seems to be growing, some residents are still against any regulations that could make it more difficult for a person to seek work.

“I still think every man in Laguna Beach has a right to stand on any corner they want to stand on, especially those who are seeking employment,” said Evelyn Munro, an alternate task force member. “If they are creating a nuisance, causing problems, then the police take care of it. That’s what we have police for.”

But others, especially north Laguna Beach residents, said the workers have created an ongoing problem that the city has been unable to solve.

The residents have been particularly troubled by workers who gather at North Coast Highway and Viejo Street. Residents have complained that the men intimidate some people and urinate and defecate outdoors.

As part of their recommendations, task force members will ask the council to place a second toilet at the designated hiring lot in the 1800 block of Laguna Canyon Road. They will also ask that a water source be installed for drinking and washing.

“That was one of the complaints,” task force member Alice Graves said. “They say, ‘We have the bathroom, but we can’t wash our hands.’ ”

In addition to trying to make the hiring lot more appealing to the day laborers, the task force has endorsed an attempt by the city’s Cross Cultural Task Force to create a hiring hall and resource center in Laguna Beach.

“Eventually, we’re hoping to have something a little more humane,” Graves said. Proponents of the hiring hall admit that it may be difficult to obtain the funding for a hiring hall.