Judicial Watch should mind its own business Around Town, posted by Editor, Mountain View Voice Online, on Apr 24, 2009 at 7:17 am
Is allowing the Day Worker Center of Mountain View to move into what is now a rundown building on Escuela Avenue next to the railroad tracks really going to harm the neighborhood, as some residents claim?
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, April 24, 2009, 12:00 AM
Posted by Dull, a resident of the North Whisman neighborhood, on Apr 24, 2009 at 7:17 am
Escuela Avenue is a 4 block long street with 49 buildings of which only about a dozen are single family residences. A few residents along this street oppose a vacant lot and an abandoned laundry building being converted to a place where undocumented workers can try to find work, learn English, and try to fit into a community. Distorting facts and misleading others in an effort to stop a program that helps solve a problem situation is shameful. Now the City of Mountain View will have to start spending money to defend themselves against an organization based in Washington D.C., that is a well-financed litigious group backed by the Mellon oil and banking fortune. Google those people and see what you find!
These outspoken residents have never gone to the Day Worker Center to meet these wonderful, caring, hard working people and see how well they run the place. Instead they judge all undocumented workers based on the few that have become problems. Judging an entire population by the actions of a few has been wrong throughout history.
Posted by J. Hanksin, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Apr 24, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I don't live anywhere near your city and will not be affected by what happens but I would like to point out that using tax dollars to help those who have violated the nation's laws is not a good thing. I would be angry if my city did it.
Posted by Reality Check, a resident of another community, on Apr 24, 2009 at 12:24 pm
J. Hanskin's comment is broadly problematic in that there are few among us who have not at one time or another "violated the nation's laws" (ever get a traffic or parking citation, start a war on false pretenses/evidence, been convicted of anything, get away with breaking any laws, improperly remove a mattress tag?), yet we still are the beneficiaries of tax dollar-supported benefits ranging from roads, libraries, parks, transit, public safety services, public schools and colleges, local government, mortgage interest tax deductions, food stamps, welfare, etc., etc.
Posted by Citizen TaxPayer, a resident of another community, on Apr 24, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Persons here unlawfully are obtaining employment unlawfully from business-owners that are tax cheats, & who engage in unfair business practices that drive down wages. MV wants to subsidize this criminal behavior with taxpayer dollars. That's wrong & illegal. Not too tough to understand ~ unless you don't really want to understand.
Posted by Daniel DeBolt, Mountain View Voice Staff Writer, on Apr 24, 2009 at 2:31 pm Daniel DeBolt is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Online
The Day Worker Center requires that its workers be paid a certain hourly rate (I can't recall what it is, but it's over $8 an hour), so it keeps wages up to some degree.
Without the DWC more workers would be on the street, where employers sometimes get away with paying them nothing.
Posted by Jon Wiener, a resident of another community, on Apr 25, 2009 at 11:19 am
Daniel, last I checked it was $10.
From what I can find, no court in California has ever agreed with Judicial Watch's theory. I posted a brief analysis of the organization's unsuccessful lawsuit against the City of Laguna Beach here (Web Link), in a case where Laguna Beach was taking a much more active role in supporting a day worker center.
Posted by Enough!, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Apr 25, 2009 at 5:34 pm
So I'll assume the DWC workers are paying taxes on their income as well. BTW, the DWC will be a great place for those looking for cheap labor to pick up swine flu or TB.
Posted by eric, a resident of another community, on Apr 25, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Careful, Enough-- your circular non-arguement is showing. How could an undocumented worker travel between Mtn View and Mexico City with the speed and ease required to harbor a recent viral outbreak?
Nice try at a scare tactic, though.
I was at the spring parade today. The Worker Center got a very nice, well-deserved cheer from the crowd
Posted by Enough!, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Apr 26, 2009 at 9:46 am
Gee eric, did you rain on the parade yesterday as well? I didn't realize I was in the company of this forum's master of rhetoric with all your constant appeals to logic. It does get a little boring.
Actually the swine flu reaching areas such as Mtn View via illegals is very much within the realm of possibilities. TB has already made a comeback in Santa Clara County via illegals. It is an indisputable fact, eric. Or would attention be better directed at the Los Altos or Palo Alto country clubs?
Posted by Robin Iwai, a resident of the Martens-Carmelita neighborhood, on Apr 27, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Dear "Enough,"
I would like to personally invite you to visit the Day Worker Center. We are open Monday through Saturday, 7am-2pm.
Please come observe one of 20+ English classes taught weekly by community volunteers.
Please join us for a hot freshly-cooked lunch any day at 11:30, it's free, on the house.
Please join us for our next Stanford Blood Center blood drive on Monday May 4th.
Please join us on Saturday, May 9 at 7pm at CSMA for a screening of "Letters from the Other Side" which is a documentary film that tells the story of the families left behind as men and women go in search of jobs that do not exist in their hometowns.
We would be happy to have you visit the Center and meet our Director, workers, and volunteers.
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