3/27: Mayor Willie Brown has officially terminated city funding to the Day Labor Program. Despite the fact that La Raza Centro Legal has had demonstrated success in running the Program for the last three years, the contract was awarded to Volunteers of America (VOA). VOA, the only other bidder and an organization with no connection to the day labor community, has entirely failed to address the needs of the workers at its Oakland program, where it has been collaborating with the police in their harrassment of the workers. La Raza Centro Legal is filing an appeal of the decision on the basis of extreme bias within the Technical Review Committee process. One member of the six-person committee stated in a letter of complaint to the Mayor’s office, “I have been a member of dozens of technical review panels for Department of Health Services, and Department of Public Health. I have never been a part of one that has been even close to being so blatantly biased and ‘rigged’.” The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund is also filing a lawsuit in Federal Court on behalf of La Raza Centro Legal against the Mayor and the City of San Francisco for violation of the agency’s First Amendment Rights to protest.

In addition, members of the Day Labor Program attended yesterday's Police Commission Hearing to ask for the immediate dismissal of Captain Greg Corrales from his current position as captain of Mission Police Station. Captain Corrales, who was recently indicted in connection with the SFPD cover-up scandal and remains under investigation, has spearheaded a campaign of repression against workers on Cesar Chavez Street. Details | SF Bay Guardian article