A Vista ordinance that regulates day laborers withstood first-amendment challenges in federal court today. The ACLU had sued to temporarily block the measure. KPBS Radio's Andrew Phelps reports.
Vista city officials say the ordinance protects day laborers because it controls the haphazard process of hiring the workers off the street. Lawyers from the ACLU and California Rural Legal Assistance argue the ordinance is motivated by prejudice since most of the day laborers are Latino. The lawyers also say the measure infringes on employers' constitutional freedoms. The judge sided with the city, ruling there are enough safeguards in place to make sure hiring permits are distributed fairly. The judge did not respond to complaints about discrimination. But he says the ordinance could face first-amendment hurdles in the future. The ACLU plans to mount more legal challenges. For KPBS, I'm Andrew Phelps.
