Let's see... a million bucks ($964,000).. I hope that is NOT an annual budget, most of which comes from Taxpayers of Los Altos, Mtn.View, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto..Gee, ya think that this is their way of keeping the "workers" out of their towns ? Gee Elmer, I think so.
That comes out to about $10,000.00 for each of the 100 "workers".. Why don't we save the congestion, the the neighborhood concerns and the maintenance on a building, and just givee each of them $800.00 or so each month, feel good about our generosity and move on, problem solved. Then they could apply for jobs, go to nite school and get real jobs.
Please don't misunderstand me. I'm glad to help anyone out.. how about paying Mtn.View residents in danger of losing their homes due to layoffs and downsizing.. $800.00 a month might well save a lot of homes and families.
When will our "feel good" efforts be replaced with "individual responsibility" and self reliance ???

geo.

Let's see... a million bucks ($964,000).. I hope that is NOT an annual budget, most of which comes from Taxpayers of Los Altos, Mtn.View, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto..Gee, ya think that this is their way of keeping the "workers" out of their towns ? Gee Elmer, I think so.
That comes out to about $10,000.00 for each of the 100 "workers".. Why don't we save the congestion, the the neighborhood concerns and the maintenance on a building, and just givee each of them $800.00 or so each month, feel good about our generosity and move on, problem solved. Then they could apply for jobs, go to nite school and get real jobs.
Please don't misunderstand me. I'm glad to help anyone out.. how about paying Mtn.View residents in danger of losing their homes due to layoffs and downsizing.. $800.00 a month might well save a lot of homes and families.
When will our "feel good" efforts be replaced with "individual responsibility" and self reliance ???

geo.

The article is quite, quite clear that the $964000 is the cost of the building itself, plus renovations, plus one-time permit and study fees.

I'm also looking forward to a detailed treatise on how providing a center for employees and employers to link up is a "feel good" effort, but the proposed alternative of giving away $800 per month to each of a 100 people encourages "individual responsibility" or "self reliance".

If you read the article a little more closely, you will see that it is not the annual budget.

Day workers should be asked to prove their legal status as citizens to work here or make use of this center. Federal laws should be enforced. Any one here illegally should be sent back from to their countries of origin. The City of Mountain View should be looking out for legal citizens.

Federal law IS enforced... by the people who are supposed to enforce it: federal officers. Take it up with them.

Local and state law enforcement have no right to enforce federal law, just the same federal officers have no right to try to enforce local laws.

I hate when people like 'Joe' spout off about law enforcement but know nothing about it. Immigration law can only be prosecuted and pursued by FEDERAL officers. Look it up.

It could be converted to a deportation station for a one way ticket to mexico.

I'll leave the debate about federal enforcement of immigration laws for another day... this is not a right/left issue, as neither party has shown progress on immigration reform or securing our borders. However, I am not sure I see the role of a day-laborer center except to circumvent local, state and federal laws regarding contracting and employment. Licensed contractors would be employers under state and federal law and would be required to verify workers employability... is access to the SSN verification database provided at the site for contractors? Homeowners, likewise would be considered employers if they hire anyone not in their immediate family or a licensed subcontractor to do the work... what assurances are us homeowners given then we are hiring people legally? Are homeowners being counseled on the risks of operating as an owner/builder on projects? The liability they are exposing themselves to by employing people within their primary residence without workers comp insurance? Does the day workers center confirm contractors are providing workers compensation insurance to the laborers? While it may not be Mountain View's responsibility to enforce immigration law, it should certainly not be in the business of circumventing employment and contracting law. Further, the city of mountain view is exposing itself to litigation for when (not if) someone does get injured and is not covered under workers comp or homeowners insurance (either sued by the worker, or the homeowner, or even the homeowner's insurer). This center should not exist... it is doing a disservice to the majority of Mountain View residents, and undermining the business interests of those licensed contractors that choose to obey the law.

In my view, complaining about illegal immigrants is a bit like complaining about illegal drugs -- we are always ready to blame the foreigners, but do nothing on our end to stop demand, which is the real source of the problem.

How many of you "Mr. DePortum" types hire Mexican laborers to come blow your leaves around twice a week? How many of you frequent restaurants where they cook your food -- or for that matter buy your produce at Safeway? (the vast majority of which is picked by illegal laborers from South America)

Look in the mirror, I say.

Sorry... the vast majority of people do NOT hire illegals nor do illegal drugs. If you hire a lawn-care company to take care of your yard, you should check that the company has a business license (I know I do when I hire people). That way, when you hire a company, the responsibility lies with the employer, not the customer... it is their livelihood on the line (or at least should be). There is a reason most people outside of California mow their own lawns or hire the neighbor kid to do so... running a business is expensive, what with workers comp, payroll taxes, benefits and income tax. It is simply too expensive for most people to justify where rates are not artificially kept down with illegal labor. These are not jobs Americans are too lazy to do, they are jobs Americans are not willing to pay alot for... there is a difference. If you would post a list of restaurants you know to employ illegals, I will gladly stay away and even forward the information to ICE if I really like the food! As for buying produce at the market? I've never met a non-politician clamoring for deportation that does not STRONGLY support cracking down on the employers as well. Most of us have way too many things going on in our lives to check the supply chain of our local grocery store before buying a product... I expect that some of our taxes could be used for that.

A friend of mine hired some illegal workers to clean his gutters. One fell and hurt his knee. He was dropped off at Stanford and spent three nights there following surgery. Now that same illegal is on sort of state disability paid for by us and has got a lawyer to go after more. It's a matter of time before them come after my friend the homeowner.

Also, if you eat in restaurants where illegals work you are putting your health at risk. The restaurant owner made that decision to do so when he knowingly hired them. You'd vomit if you saw the crammed, filthy conditions many of them live in along California Ave where unethical landlords, mostly from out of town, allow many of them to live crowded and poorly maintained conditions. I know, I've visited some of these apartments and it convinced me to never eat in the restaurants where the people living in these apartments work.

Two Sides:

We seem to be in agreement here. I don't think consumers should have to track down the history of all employers' workers either. But the fact is, as you put it perfectly: "There is a reason most people outside of California mow their own lawns or hire the neighbor kid to do so... It is simply too expensive for most people to justify where rates are not artificially kept down with illegal labor."

As far as I can tell, the vast majority of gardening services you see in the yellow pages are perfectly legit. Yet their rates are still kept artificially low, apparently through the use of illegal labor. So there is a disconnect here -- many people are willing to the beat the drums against illegal immigrants, but the very fabric of their economy, from landscaping to the produce at Safeway (as a Central Valley native I have first-hand knowledge of this), is built on their labor.

I don't know if the individual consumer, or even the small-time landscaper, can deal with this. (I suspect Safeway could, if they wanted to.) But the heart of the matter lies here, and our problem, societally, is hypocrisy.

"These are not jobs Americans are too lazy to do, they are jobs Americans are not willing to pay alot for... there is a difference." Excellent distinction! I'd like to see this line get used more often.

Beware user,

I have bad news for you! There will be no more eating out for you my friend!

"Also, if you eat in restaurants where illegals work you are putting your health at risk."

fer