DAY LABOR ISSUE PUT ON HOLD CITY WATCHING GLENDALE SUIT.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The City Council has halted further studies on establishing a local day-laborer hiring center until liability issues are resolved. After hearing a city staff report on the day labor day labor n. Labor hired and paid by the day. day laborer n. issue last week, the council considered responding to the issue by building a work center and restricting work solicitation on public roads through an ordinance. But the council declined further action when the discussion turned to the city of Glendale, which was sued last May by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund after pursuing a similar strategy. MALDEF MALDEF Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund claims the city's ordinance and its enforcement violated the laborers' First Amendment rights to free speech. Glendale Assistant City Attorney Ann Maurer said they plan to file a request for summary judgment, and expects a ruling in March. ``They did everything you would think is correct, and they still ended up in litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. ,'' Councilwoman Laurene West said. Santa Clarita City Attorney Carl Newton said the council should wait for the ruling in the Glendale case before considering the next step. ``I'd hate to see the city be a pioneer doing something and get sued,'' he said. The City Council reopened the day labor issue last October when then- Mayor Bob Kellar - spurred by complaints from residents and businesses - directed city staff to study how neighboring cities including Glendale, Burbank and Thousand Oaks found resolutions. About 150 day laborers congregate on San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the in Newhall between 15th Street and Sierra Highway daily, according to the Sheriff's Department. Santa Clarita resisted building a hiring center in the early 1990s, with city leaders instead asking immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. officials to sweep the area and deport de·port tr.v. de·port·ed, de·port·ing, de·ports 1. To expel from a country. See Synonyms at banish. 2. To behave or conduct (oneself) in a given manner; comport. any illegal immigrants. In 1997, city government also adopted an ordinance prohibiting day laborers from soliciting passing motorists for work. But attempts to enforce that ordinance were abandoned after a U.S. District Court ruled in 2000 that a similar law in Los Angeles County was unconstitutional. Councilman Frank Ferry supports an organized work center. ``When I see them out there, I see the fathers and uncles of our students at Hart High,'' he said. ``They're out working hard. They're contributing to the community. They pay sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. .'' Kellar, now a city councilman, disliked the idea of the city financing a work center for laborers who may be illegal immigrants. But the former Los Angeles police officer believes something must be done to control the problem. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com |
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