No Citations Issued as Enforcement of Day-Laborer Law Begins

NEWHALL — Sheriff’s deputies Wednesday were to have begun enforcing a 2-month-old city ordinance designed to sweep Santa Clarita’s streets of laborers soliciting work on public property, but not a single ticket was issued.

There were few day laborers on Newhall streets and none of them appeared to be breaking the law, deputies said.

The few day laborers in the area said they were well aware enforcement was to begin Wednesday.

A day earlier, anyone driving south on San Fernando Road from Magic Mountain Parkway would have seen 60 to 80 day laborers, mostly young Latino men who cluster in front of nurseries, hardware stores and other businesses looking for work. On Wednesday, there were fewer than 15 in the area.

“We’re hoping that everyone will take the ordinance seriously,” said Lt. Tim Peters, the sheriff’s deputy in charge of enforcing the ordinance. “If they do, then we won’t be forced to write that many tickets.”

If they don’t, they may be forced to pay fines up to $250.

Santa Clarita adopted an anti-solicitation ordinance in March, much like those passed in Glendale, Malibu, Agoura and other bedroom communities wrestling with what to do with their own day-laborer issues. Many residents in those areas as well as in Santa Clarita have complained that day laborers cause traffic problems, harass women and urinate in public.

But deputies saw little of that Wednesday and nobody violating the anti-solicitation ordinance either. But what about the dozen or so day laborers that were lingering on public property?

“It’s not a crime to stand on the streets,” Peters said.

Kevin Tonoian, the city official in charge of the ordinance’s implementation, stressed that anyone can use city streets, they just can’t use them to drum up business or seek employment.

“To be a violation, a person has to be caught actively engaging in that activity,” Tonoian said. “If you’re just standing on the street or are on private property, there is nothing we can do about it.”

Tonoian said the city is taking a “watch and see” attitude regarding the ordinance. If it’s ignored, and normal policing isn’t effective, then other measures will be used, which may include monthly sweeps of the area by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, looking for illegal immigrants.

At Jessup’s Dairy in Newhall, many of the half-dozen day laborers gathered in the parking lot Wednesday said they plan to obey the ordinance but don’t understand why anyone would keep them from earning a living.

“I’ll obey it until it stops me from finding work,” said Jose Sorrieno, 48, of Chihuahua, Mexico, who said he’s been living in the United States for seven years. “All the bad things they claim we do may be committed by 1% of the workers--that’s all.”

Tonoian said many other groups will be affected by the ordinance besides day laborers, such as the people who wave motorists into carwashes and flower vendors.