Worker-rights group asks San Bernardino mayor for meeting on day-labor hiring site

Alexis Teodoro, worker-rights director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, asked the mayor and city manager to schedule meetings about creating a labor center to benefit day laborers, household workers and street vendors who seek work in San Bernardino.

Teodoro said her organization runs the only day-labor center in the area and that it works with laborers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. She told the council a staff member met with her about the issue about two months earlier and asked for a formal meeting to develop a policy.

“We would like to have a real meeting with you to talk about a real policy that will benefit workers,” Teodoro said. She requested a meeting with the mayor focused on a hiring site and a separate meeting with the city manager about police-department issues.

Why it matters: Teodoro framed a hiring site as an economic and workforce development tool that could connect thousands of workers — day laborers, domestic workers, construction and landscaping workers — with paid work. She said such centers are in the city’s economic-mobility plan and could increase work opportunities while improving oversight and safety.

Next steps: Teodoro asked the mayor and city manager to schedule the meetings; the transcript captures her request but does not record a scheduled date or a council vote.