Posted on 05/01/2006 4:17:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Chinese food or a hamburger were easy to come by in the Mission District on Monday. Doughnuts or bagels? No problem. But in a neighborhood where every other storefront seems to house a tacqueria, you would have been hard-pressed to find a burrito.
With leaders of the national "Day Without Immigrants" calling for an economic boycott, many Hispanic-owned businesses closed for the day in the city's unofficial Latin quarter and throughout California, encouraging employees to participate in the massive protest marches.
"Today, no - no working and no buying," said Enrique Varguas, 28, who rescheduled a dozen or so landscaping appointments so he could participate in San Francisco's demonstration. "They will see how much money immigrants spend, and how much immigrants contribute to the economy of the country."
Though participation in the work stoppage was uneven and hard to gauge, its impact was hardly limited to Hispanic neighborhoods in a state that relies heavily on immigrant labor. Building contractors in many communities canceled jobs, appliance stores curtailed deliveries, parents scrambled to make alternative child care arrangements and farms had fewer people to pick produce.
At the state Capitol in Sacramento, the California Legislature canceled its floor sessions and the two onsite cafeterias remained latched because not enough employees showed up. Yet many large manufacturers, including the Farmer John meatpacking plant in Los Angeles and Gallo Wine's plants in Modesto, Fresno, Sonoma and other cities reported they were near fully staffed.
Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic development Corp., said the economic fallout of the one-day boycott could be as high as $200 million in Los Angeles County. The estimate, a fraction of the $1.2 billion in economic activity the county generates daily, consisted of business lost on Monday and took into consideration commerce that would be made up later in the week.
Throughout the state, employers seemed eager to accommodate employees if they could. Fencing contractor Justin Lena had to postpone five of the six jobs he had scheduled in the San Francisco suburbs until Saturday after 14 of his 16 employees said they would not be coming to work.
Lena filled in, shoveling gravel. But he wasn't upset, especially after his most veteran employee told him his friends and family would be angry with him if he breached the boycott.
"The Mexican guys I have who work for me, they are absolutely fantastic workers. I've had Asian, I've had black and I've had white. (Hispanics) are the most hardworking, dedicated, family oriented, focused people I've ever had work for me," said Lena, 26. "The backbone of my business is on their shoulders."
Carmen Murray, owner of Rodeo Carpet Mills in Commerce, Calif., said she was operating on a skeleton staff Monday as two-thirds of her 33-person work force took the day off to attend rallies. She said her workers asked weeks in advance and were allowed to use vacation time.
"We thought it was important for them and we wanted to support their feelings," Murray said.
In food-loving San Francisco, owner Laurie Thomas made a deal with workers at her Rose Pistola restaurant: she would keep the Italian eatery shut for lunch if the night crew promised to show up for dinner. A sign on the door informed patrons of the closure, but didn't give the reason.
"I don't feel compelled to make a big statement about it," Thomas said. "We need to do what's right to run the business and sometimes that includes compromise."
Farmworker advocates claimed the boycott put a significant dent in one of the state's signature industries. The United Farm Workers union said the boycott shut down grape, strawberry and citrus harvests throughout California for the day.
"This really demonstrates the power that we have when we're unified," UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said from a rally in Salinas.
But agricultural interests said farmers were prepared for the boycott and would probably not suffer. Many farms and packing plants let their workers take the time off while others rearranged schedules to make up for missed work on Monday, California Farm Bureau Federation spokesman Dave Kranz said.
Sean McNally, a spokesman for Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, said the company was down to less than 30 percent of its normal work force, but didn't have to close any of its vegetable-growing operations.
"We made it clear there would be no repercussions if they wanted to take that day off. We wanted them to feel free to express themselves," McNally said.
While industries with heavily Hispanic staffs saw the biggest impact, the boycott also had a trickle-down effect. Bay Area 2nd Mom Inc., a Palo Alto-based caregiver referral service, saw a sharp increase in calls on Sunday and Monday from parents who needed a last-minute nanny or baby sitter, said Chief Executive Shalini Azariah.
"Today our phones are just ringing off the hook," Azariah said.
For some enterprises, that meant a boon in business. With so most other restaurants closed, Wan Kee, a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District, did brisk lunchtime business.
"We have to eat, too," said Francisco Sanchez, 25, an ice cream vendor, tucking into a plate of rice and stir-friend scallops before he headed off to San Francisco's protest.
---
Associated Press Writers Terence Chea, Gary Gentile, Olivia Munoz and Don Thompson contributed to this story.
clalupa(s)=chalupa(s)
A day without an illegal... is like a fish without a bicycle!!!
Quotes from California's immigration rallies
The Bakersfield Californian
http://www.bakersfield.com/119/story/49235.html
Quotes from California's immigration rallies:
"This country needs us. We are the strong arms doing all the tough jobs." Donna Maria Mostache, 43, an illegal immigrant from Mexico protesting in Los Angeles.
---
"We're here. And all we're asking is fair treatment for everyone. We don't want immigrants to be criminalized." Catalina Hernandez, a protester who marched to Los Angeles City Hall with a niece and nephew.
---
"We pay our taxes, we obey the law, we are learning English, our lives are here." Monica de la Torre, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, at the Los Angeles demonstration.
---
"If he's even five minutes late, I worry that he'll never come home. This is in our face every day. And it's not just about Mexicans. It's about people like me. It's about all of us. It's about what it means to be American." Linnea Pierrard, 37, a teacher who attended a San Francisco rally with her husband, an illegal immigrant.
---
"What everyone here is doing is making themselves visible instead of being inside working in a kitchen or taking care of other people's kids - doing jobs that other people don't want to do." Daniel Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Los Angeles artist who is the son of Mexican immigrants.
---
"We can't have any more people come here." Police Lt. Art DeClercq in Huntington Park, where some 25,000 people jammed a park.
---
"I find this kind of occasion a civil exultation where people basically celebrate diversity and the multicultural essence of America." Steven Black, 44, a U.S. citizen originally from Canada, at a San Francisco rally.
---
"I said they are going to be with me - protesting." Ruby Martinez, explaining that she refused to write a sick note to explain her children's absence from school to attend the Los Angeles protest.
Good for you ! But asking for a little more sugar never hurt !
If only they were that bright ...
Well said. I'll eat at Taco Bell instead.
Sean McNally, a spokesman for Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, said the company was down to less than 30 percent of its normal work force, but didn't have to close any of its vegetable-growing operations.
"We made it clear there would be no repercussions if they wanted to take that day off. We wanted them to feel free to express themselves," McNally said.
I have been taking notes on companies and businesses that I typically patronize. I used to buy Grimmway carrots, but now I know better. :-)
Today was a great service to those of us who want to make sure our hard-earned dollars support those who love the U.S. and respect our laws.
That one'd go down in the alltime FReeper Hall of Fame, if there was one! :-)
Be sure to drop them a note so they understand why they lost your business.
Here in Las Vegas the only difference I saw was the home and garden store down the road from the house didn't have thirty immigrants standing around waiting for work. Today there were about six or seven. Traffic seemed the same to me on the way to work. One local news report claimed thousands marched on Fremont St. while a later report claimed hundreds of thousands marched on Fremont. Not sure which was correct but from the video I've seen the hundreds of thousands is slightly off. As if that many could fit on Fremont in the first place.
Have a friend that's high up in one of the casino hotels on the strip that was told to go to work today in blue jeans in case they needed more bodies to make beds and clean rooms. Apparently around six called in sick so he got to spend the day in comfortable clothes for a change.
I imagine around here the hispanic areas were the hardest hit which is stupid because that's the opposite of the supposed goal. The whole thing is just stupid.
I suggested to my 18 yr old son that he should hang out in front of Home Depot. He can't find any work. He even applied at a restaurant where the owner is supposedly friends with his father. No dice.
Bartering and networking doesn't pay the bills. Maybe every unemployed American should show up at Home Depot the next time the illegals take the day off.
I see a multitude of illegals at the mall, but they never seem to have a bag in their hands, indicating they have purchased anything. Walmart is a different story, they actually roll a cart around and buy stuff.
So if your remodeling job done by illegals had gone well, you WOULD be willing to hire illegals again?
Me as well. It was packed. I also did a bit of driving around on a long lunch. 100% open. All normal. I am in north Dallas.
Did you come down across the bridge to get that, or have they put one in up where you live?
Huh??? I was simply reporting some good news about some dedicated employees who were rewarded. Illegals? Actually, no---American hispanic citizens.
If it makes you feel any better, the weather in California sucked this winter. We had seven weeks of nothing but rain in the Bay Area.
I understand why you felt the need to leave. Things are bad enough now, but if we get a demonrat governor, I may have to pack my bags, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.