THE DAY WORKER CENTER OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CELEBRATES ONE YEAR IN OPERATION THIS MONTH. THE CENTER OFFERS A SAFER ALTERNATIVE TO PICKING UP DAY LABORERS ON THE STREET. IN ADDITION, THE CENTER HELPS ENSURE A SAFER, MORE RESPECTFUL WORK SITE FOR THE LABORERS. THEY HOLD CLASSES SUCH AS SAFETY TRAINING, ENGLISH, AND CARPENTRY. ACCORDING TO RECORDS, MORE THAN 300 WORKERS ARE REGISTERED WITH THE CENTER AND MORE THAN 500 EMPLOYERS HAVE HIRED A WORKER AT LEAST ONCE OVER THE PAST YEAR. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT OPPOSITION TO THE CENTER INITIALLY AS SOME LIVE OAK RESIDENTS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT ISSUES SUCH AS LOITERING, HARASSMENT OF STUDENTS WALKING TO SCHOOL, CRIME, AND TRAFFIC. WHILE THESE ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN THE REALITY, SOME RESIDENTS STILL BELIEVE THE DAY WORKER CENTER SHOULD BE IN A MORE COMMERCIAL AREA AS CROWDS OF DAY LABORERS STILL FREQUENT RIVER ST IN SANTA CRUZ AND 41ST AVENUE IN SOQUEL/CAPITOLA.
