Los Angeles is in the middle of a high-stakes fight over the city’s day labor centers, as advocates press City Hall to nearly triple annual funding to $3 million while federal immigration enforcement ramps up on the streets where workers gather.
The ask is focused on small but vital operations, including trailers and outreach tents in Home Depot parking lots, that organizers say have become hotspots for aggressive raids and detentions. The clash over funding landed at City Hall just as officials work to lock in Mayor Karen Bass’ spending plan for the coming fiscal year.
What advocates want
Organizers from IDEPSCA, CARECEN, and other nonprofits told the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee that the $1 million the city currently sets aside for seven day labor centers does not come close to covering legal defense, security upgrades, and emergency assistance.
IDEPSCA says its centers have already provided more than $400,000 in direct aid, and the group reports that dozens of workers were detained in recent enforcement actions, according to LAist.
Home Depot, Cypress Park and the frontline
The Cypress Park Day Labor Center, a modest trailer and fenced area tucked under the 5 Freeway in a Home Depot parking lot, has become ground zero for both immigration raids and community protests.
Home Depot has publicly denied that it is planning to evict the center and says it does not coordinate with federal enforcement. Organizers counter that new noise machines and other recent measures have made the lot hostile to workers and their advocates, a tension that has been chronicled by LA Public Press.
Where the money would come from
Advocates have folded their $3 million request into Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed $14.9 billion spending plan and are asking city leaders to direct the additional money into contracts with the nonprofits that operate the worker sites.
The mayor’s budget summary lays out the fiscal calendar and the steps for finalizing appropriations before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, and the city’s budget documents detail the timeline for hearings and adoption. See the Mayor's budget summary.
Other reporting and the numbers
On May 1, the New York Post published records-based reporting that found taxpayers paid roughly $77,000 to set up the Cypress Park center and that operating a single worker site costs about $121,684 a year.
The Post said those figures, drawn from public records, cast doubt on the scale of the $3 million request. City agencies and nonprofits respond that the centers provide far more than a hiring hall, pointing to emergency services, legal assistance and broader community support that are wrapped into those budgets.
Voices on both sides
IDEPSCA Executive Director Maegan Ortiz and CARECEN organizers describe the centers as lifelines. They say staff help workers line up jobs, cover rent and food in emergencies and connect families to legal aid when someone is detained. Ortiz has been blunt with reporters, saying, “We aren’t leaving.”
On the City Hall side, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez has publicly backed efforts to defend the Cypress Park site and has called for greater accountability from large corporations. Other local leaders have cautioned that the city’s resources are limited and that there are many competing budget priorities, according to LA Public Press.
What’s next
Budget hearings at the City Council are scheduled to continue through mid May, and the council is required to adopt a final budget before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Advocates say they will keep pushing for the full $3 million and for stronger protections at the informal work sites where day laborers gather. City officials, for now, say they are reviewing all budget requests and contract details. Home Depot maintains that it does not coordinate with ICE, even as the public fight over enforcement, corporate responsibility and who gets a slice of the city budget shows no sign of cooling off.
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