Nonprofit helps day laborers in North Fair Oaks [Palo Alto Daily News, Calif.]

Dec. 27--While some communities oppose the presence of day laborers, complaining that the mostly immigrant men clog sidewalks and harass pedestrians, North Fair Oaks decided to help and embrace them instead.

Last week, local businesses in the unincorporated area of San Mateo County co-sponsored a holiday celebration at St. Anthony of Padua in Menlo Park for about 100 workers and family members. County staff and community leaders also attended, such as Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre, Canada College Interim President James Keller and representatives of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Things were not always so congenial. Five years ago, San Mateo County was fielding numerous complaints about the workers' presence along Fifth Avenue and Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks. The board of supervisors passed a "Roadway Solicitation" ordinance, banning hopeful workers from jumping into the vehicles of potential employers, calling the actions a safety hazard.

That same year, the county also tried another solution. Officials hired the Multicultural Institute, a Berkeley-based nonprofit, to help day laborers find work that would get them off the streets, connect them to training and social service opportunities, and encourage them to avoid behavior that would draw the wrath of the community.

The Multicultural Institute was an idea that better addressed the problem, and in January 2008 the board of supervisors repealed the solicitation

ordinance. The county continued its contract with the Multicultural Institute, paying $148,320 this fiscal year for its services. The nonprofit has set up an office in North Fair Oaks on Middlefield Road, though much of its work is done on the streets in outreach programs.

The main component of the nonprofit's day worker program is a job service that matches workers with local residents and employers looking for help. About 250 laborers are registered and a total of 170 employers used the service in 2008 and 2009, according to a report the nonprofit released last year.

Many of the jobs paid from $12 to $15 an hour. About 80 percent of employers using the service were homeowners or renters, the majority from Redwood City. Much of the demand is for landscaping, construction and moving assistance.

"Many, many businesses, they find this service very useful," said Aguirre. "If there was no demand, they (day laborers) wouldn't be out there waiting for a job."

While the Multicultural Institute works to match potential employers with workers with compatible skills, fluency in English, and other needs, the nonprofit doesn't provide workers' compensation insurance or check laborers' immigration status.

"We're not involved in anyone's background checks," Associate Director Paula Worby said. The organization also doesn't ask its clients if they are in the country legally, she said.

Though the nonprofit encourages day laborers to maintain good community relations, the message doesn't always register.

Juan Artega, a manager at the Chavez Supermarket on Fifth Avenue in Redwood City, said every morning there are lines of day laborers on the sidewalk, waiting for employers to pick them up. Some women find it intimidating, he said, because some of the men "don't give the respect to the ladies."

Overall, community leaders say the North Fair Oaks program has been a success.

Worby said some of the success is just a result of the human connections being made between businesses, residents and the day laborers -- who, she notes, are also local customers and members of the community.

"Sometimes people, they're scared of what they don't know," Worby said. "If you can engage people in a human way, those fears can be addressed."

Email Bonnie Eslinger at [email protected].

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