Calabasas : Proposal Would Target Day Laborers

The city of Calabasas is considering an ordinance that would prohibit people from soliciting work in designated areas of the city, including commercial parking lots and curb sides.

A similar ordinance enacted four years ago in Agoura Hills was challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which claimed the ordinance discriminated against day laborers. But the 2nd District Court of Appeal sided with the city, saying it had the right to regulate day laborer traffic for reasons of public safety.

Calabasas officials say the proposed ordinance singles out day laborers. For example, said City Manager Charles Cate, it would prohibit construction contractors from soliciting business in parking lots of home improvement stores.

The issue takes on added urgency, Cate said, as the city considers a proposal for a Home Depot store on Las Virgenes Road near the Ventura Freeway.

The City Council and city staff members on Wednesday discussed the ordinance, which will be brought back for a vote at a later date.

Under the proposed law, violations would be misdemeanors, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail.

Calabasas City Atty. Casey Vose said he believes Calabasas’ proposed ordinance would withstand legal challenges, because it is based on “safety issues and free flow of traffic” and allows for “alternate avenues of solicitation.”

Meanwhile, Agoura Hills’ ordinance, and a similar law adopted by Los Angeles County, have not been effective, by some accounts.

The county has no funds for its enforcement, Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti said after the ordinance was adopted last year. And Agoura Hills officials have reportedly given up trying to enforce the law themselves.

Supporters of such ordinances say they help rid neighborhoods of day laborers and help stop illegal immigration. Immigrants’ rights groups, however, claim the ordinances are racist and keep day laborers from earning a living.