Council Weighs Ban on Soliciting by Day Laborers

The City Council will decide next week whether to give final approval to an ordinance prohibiting day laborers from soliciting work on city streets.

The vote comes as a home improvement and remodeling store in the neighboring city of Monrovia relocates closer to Duarte.

The council has already given tentative approval to the ordinance, which mirrors a similar law that recently went into effect in Monrovia. If approved, the Duarte ordinance would take effect next month.

Under the ordinance, day laborers who solicit on city streets and public areas and those who attempt to hire them can be charged with a misdemeanor infraction and could face a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail, city officials said.

At the relocated store, Home Depot on Mountain Avenue, a company called Labor Ready has set up a trailer as a hiring site to connect workers and potential employers.