OC Voice

Costa Mesa mayor Allan Mansoor, a candidate for state assembly, unveiled his plan to “discuss” immigration reform in the city and the state. He also blamed the ACLU for a lawsuit it filed to challenge the constitutionality of the city’s solicitation ordinance, which is enforced in a discriminatory fashion toward day laborers and prohibits certain forms of free speech.

The OC Voice was the first to break the story of alleged police harassment under the ordinance and the possibility that a lawsuit would be filed by the ACLU on behalf of the day laborers in October, 2007. This is the fifth of five parts in video. This segment shows the musical overture to the press conference announcing the lawsuit led by the Mexican folk band El Centro.

This segment of “Day Laborers vs. Costa Mesa” shows the English version of the press conference held on Feb. 2, 2010 in front of Costa Mesa’s city hall to announce a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and others on behalf of day laborers whose First Amendment rights were allegedly violated by enforcement of a city ordinance.

Costa Mesa day laborers sue the city over alleged violations of their First Amendment rights and Chief of Police Christopher Shawkey responds. First of a five-part video report.