Job Center survives another council vote

Deirdre Newman

The Job Center opened its doors 15 years ago as a clearinghouse for

day laborers to find temporary work. Before that, the laborers

congregated in Lions Park and other open spaces on 19th Street.

While the center has been controversial since its inception, it

has been fairly successful in providing a place for laborers to

gather.

So when Councilman Allan Mansoor proposed requiring the laborers

to be Costa Mesa residents, many wondered whether the move would turn

back the clock on the neighborhood and send day laborers from out of

town spilling onto 19th Street and beyond.

“As neighbors of Lions Park, I’m concerned if there are any

limitations, that people who are not permitted will hang out in Lions

Park and make it unfit for recreational purposes,” resident Deborah

Koken said.

On Monday, the City Council narrowly voted down the restriction,

showing its preference for the status quo. Only Mansoor and Mayor

Gary Monahan backed the restriction.

Mansoor expressed disappointment with the outcome.

“I tried to do what I thought was best, and it failed,” Mansoor

said Tuesday. “I would like to see [the restriction] happen. I think

it’s a very valid way to reduce solicitation on the street and to

make more room for people who live in Costa Mesa to find work.”

Over the past 14 years, the council has received numerous reports

on the center.

In March, city staff reported that 37% of the day laborers at the

center came from outside of Costa Mesa and that 30% to 40% of the

total laborer pool was being turned away each day.

Councilman Chris Steel said he opposed restricting the laborers to

residents only without limiting the employers in the same way. Staff

found that 49% of the employers using the center were from outside of

Costa Mesa, with Newport Beach having the highest percentage at 31%

and Huntington Beach next at 6%.

“I want to eventually close our center down until Newport Beach or

Santa Ana has one -- if they have one -- so our day laborers will go

to theirs,” Steel said Tuesday. “We need to provide incentive for

other cities to have their own.”

Monahan, however, said he felt Mansoor’s reasons for wanting to

restrict the laborers to residents only made sense.

“I think Mansoor’s idea would have meant much more employment for

Costa Mesa workers and less bodies into town, which is [now] forcing

workers out onto the street,” Monahan said. “I thought this was a

good compromise and something that would make a good benefit, and

apparently, [Steel] doesn’t know how to play that game.”