Camille T. Taiara

La Raza Centro Legal achieved an important victory Oct. 29 when Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration finally agreed to fund its work with day laborers with a $165,000 contract.

The organization has been embroiled in a protracted battle with the city over funding for the Day Labor Program, a project La Raza has headed for more than four years, as the result of a face-off against former mayor Willie Brown over workers' right to gather on city sidewalks.

La Raza supporters marched on City Hall in June 2002 to protest police harassment of day laborers on Cesar Chavez Street. The city stopped funding La Raza for the Day Labor Program less than four months later and has since put the program up for bid three times without ever awarding the contract to another group.

In a lawsuit filed against the city in March of last year, La Raza argued the move amounted to retaliation against the organization for exercising its First Amendment rights. While that lawsuit continues, La Raza's Renee Saucedo said the city funding decision is an important breakthrough.

"This was really a national precedent," Saucedo told the Bay Guardian, explaining that day labor programs across the country have been keeping close watch on the battle. "It says that [cities can't pull their] funding simply because a program combines services with empowerment work."

La Raza and city representatives are scheduled to meet Dec. 16 for a second round of settlement negotiations over the pending lawsuit.

E-mail Camille T. Taiara at camille@sfbg.com.