Day Labor Center

Organizers of the Laguna Beach Day Labor Center are searching for a new location, after being ordered by Caltrans officials to vacate the parcel at 1700 Laguna Canyon Road "as soon as possible." City and Caltrans officials met Wednesday to discuss the fate of the Day Labor Center, which continues to operate despite the order. Caltrans spokeswoman Pam Gorniak said the department did not know until June 28 that the state owned the property and that no permission had been granted for its use by the job center, which has been in existence for nearly 10 years.

FOR THE RECORD A story in the May 25 Coastline Pilot, "Day Labor Center lease terms set," erroneously stated that no bids were received for the Caltrans-owned property. Caltrans rejected all bids for the land. . . . . . . . . . . Laguna Beach will pay $5,040 per year in rent to the state to keep the Day Labor Center open on Laguna Canyon Road. After nearly a year of negotiations, officials recently came to an agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

Laguna Beach's Day Labor Center opened as usual at 6 a.m. Monday, after a bizarre Sunday morning incident in which two men yelling racial slurs allegedly used their vehicle in an apparent attempt to run down those gathered at the center. Two men - one from Laguna Beach and one from Laguna Niguel - were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and a hate crime in connection with the incident, Det. Sgt. Darin Lenyi said. Lenyi said the suspects, Dennis Kaptilniy, 18, of Laguna Beach, and Artem Soloviev, 23, of Laguna Niguel, were held on $500,000 bond.

Barbara Diamond The City Council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to offer its traveling money for a matching grant to keep the Day Labor Center in operation through June 30. Councilman Wayne Baglin voted against the proposal made by Mayor Cheryl Kinsman to reallocate the unused City Council training, travel and dues budget to the Crosscultural Council, which runs the center. Private donations had already been pledged in the wake of the council's decision at the May 4 meeting not to fulfill the Crosscultural Council's request for $8,000 to see the center through the fiscal year.

At least for another year, day laborers can still seek work at the city's designated center in Laguna Canyon. The state Department of Transportation agreed on Monday to lease the state-owned parcel to the city for 12 months. Caltrans had determined that the parcel is not needed for state transportation purposes. "Both Caltrans and the city believe [the lease] is a pragmatic solution, at least in the short term," City Manager Ken Frank said Tuesday. Frank's announcement of the lease during a City Council meeting was greeted with applause and boos from an audience of about 100, more than half of whom advocated closing the center.

The issue of mansionization was raised at all three public forums sponsored so far this month by the South Laguna Civic Assn., Oct. 5; the Arts Alliance, Saturday; and the American Assn. of University Women, The Laguna Beach Woman's Club, the Laguna Branch of the League of Women Voters and Laguna Beach Seniors Inc., Tuesday. No other topic was common to the three forums. By Tuesday's broad-based forum, which had an audience of about 75, the candidates had honed their responses on mansionization: They all agreed that neighborhood compatibility was key. Kelly Boyd tacked on view preservation as a consideration.

Cindy Frazier Laguna Beach residents Eileen Garcia and George Riviere have launched a legal assault against Laguna Beach to shut down the Day Labor Center. Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative group, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the couple on Tuesday in Santa Ana Superior Court seeking to halt taxpayer funding of the center on Laguna Canyon Road. The suit claims that the city funding violates federal law because the operators of the center do not ascertain the immigration status or right to work of those who come to the center seeking jobs.

1 Voters shift political power: Voters shift political power: The winds of change that swept Democrats into office in Washington D.C. also shifted the balance of political power in Laguna. Mayor Jane Egly and former City Clerk Verna Rollinger were elected to the council Nov. 4, joining Councilwoman Toni Iseman to create the first Village Laguna-endorsed majority in power for the since 1994. “There will be a shift in political philosophy,” Egly said. “I haven’t quite figured out how the votes will come out, but it will still be one vote at a time.

The citizens of Laguna Beach have been had, yet again, by Emperor Frank [City Manager Ken Frank] and his acolytes. During the ?discussion? before voting to spend another $18,000 of our money to buy the land from Caltrans on which the day labor site sits, most council members said the vote is not about the use of the land and refused to discuss it. All members justified the purchase because it is such a deal for the city. They ignored the fact that their emperor has admitted his intention to keep the work site on the land, even though there is a stipulation attached to the sale, that the land be used for recreation and open space.

The city took action Tuesday to become the landlord instead of the tenant of the Day Labor Center on Laguna Canyon Road. A united City Council approved the purchase of the property from Caltrans for $18,000, subject to the approval of the California Transportation Commission. “Caltrans offered the property to certain agencies about five months ago, and Laguna Beach was the only agency that made an offer,” City Manager Ken Frank said. The city’s offer was put on hold at the request of Sen. Tom Harman, who thought the state should get more money for the property, but no one else made an offer for the 16,810-square-foot site.

The following letter was addressed to state Sen. Tom Harman: ? Dear Sen. Harman: This week?s Coastline Pilot contained your ?Opinion? article. It greatly disappoints me. I remember when you came to speak at one of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy monthly dinner meetings when you were running for your present office. You seemed moderate and rational, and concerned about the issues of our town. I voted for you, as did many others at the meeting, which helped bring you to victory in a closely contested race.

State Sen. Tom Harman told local business leaders Tuesday that he supports sealing the state’s border with Mexico. The comments came during a legislative breakfast meeting sponsored by the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. Harman, who recently announced his reelection campaign, spoke of an array of issues ranging from illegal immigration to the water shortage. Answering a question about immigration posed by Laguna Realtor Bobbi Cox, Harman, who claimed to have penned more bills against illegal immigration than any other state senator or assemblyman, said he has visited the border and is very troubled by the situation.

Day laborers seeking jobs could once again take to the streets if a court ruling prevents the city from using taxpayers? money to fund the hiring center on Laguna Canyon Road, the Laguna Beach city manager said. The national group Judicial Watch filed suit in October 2006 on behalf of Eileen Garcia and George Riviere, who seek to stop the use of city funds for the site, arguing the funds aid illegal immigrants in violation of federal immigration law. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for today in Santa Ana Superior Court.

Oral arguments in a lawsuit seeking to force the closure of the Laguna Beach Day Labor Center were set for Nov. 16 on Oct. 1, during the first hearing held in the year-old case. Plaintiffs Eileen Garcia and husband George Riviere, of Laguna Beach, were in the Orange County Superior Court at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana to witness their suit’s first hearing before Judge Gregory Munoz. Attorneys on both sides requested the Nov. 16 date to argue the case and also agreed to prepare a list of stipulated — or agreed-upon — facts to expedite the legal process.

Oral arguments in a lawsuit seeking to force the closure of the Laguna Beach Day Labor Center were set for Nov. 16 on Monday, Oct. 1, the first hearing held in the year-old case. Plaintiffs Eileen Garcia and husband George Riviere, of Laguna Beach, were in the Orange County Superior Court at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana to witness their suit’s first hearing before Judge Gregory Munoz. Attorneys on both sides requested the Nov. 16 date to argue the case and also agreed to prepare a list of stipulated — or agreed-upon — facts to expedite the legal process.

Protesters spoke out Tuesday against a city grant for the Cross Cultural Council, which financially supports the Day Labor Center in Laguna Canyon. The grant was one of 31 unanimously approved by the council, culled from applications submitted by local organizations for community assistance funds. Funding is derived from rent paid by the Festival of Arts for the use of Irvine Bowl Park. "My grandparents were legal, my parents were legal and I am legal," said Michael La Riche, one of eight speakers who opposed the $22,000 grant to the Cross Cultural Council.