Privacy-Records Battle in California Over Day Laborer Employment Permits

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An unusual public records-privacy fight has erupted in Vista, CA, where the ACLU and newspapers are in court over access to permits issued by the city to residents who hire immigrant day laborers at ad hoc hiring centers, like supermarket parking lots. A local judge has issued an initial restraining order in a suit filed by the ACLU to block release of the names, claiming the permits don’t meet state law criteria for public records and constitutional privacy rights. (9/24/07)