Council Addresses E-Verify

On Mon., June 18, the Mission Viejo council will consider a proposal written by City Attorney Bill Curley to repeal the ordinance requiring city contractors to use E-Verify. The Internet database is used to verify that employees are eligible to work in the United States.

Mission Viejo was the first city in California to require that city contractors use E-Verify to ensure the eligibility of workers. When then-councilman John Paul Ledesma brought the issue to the council in 2005, it passed with a 5-0 vote.

In 2011, the state legislature approved AB 1236, which prohibits mandating that employers use E-Verify. While Curley's proposal is one way of dealing with the state's decision, Mission Viejo resident Steve Serra is proposing that the city suspend using E-Verify while keeping the language of the ordinance on the books. Such preservation of the philosophy would make it available for other cities to implement E-Verify (however, not in California) and retain Mission Viejo’s record of pioneering the ordinance.

Serra was instrumental in getting the Mission Viejo council to approve this ordinance in 2005. He has been a leader for obeying laws regarding immigration.

Curley's proposal can be found in the support materials for Agenda Item No. 27: http://dms.cityofmissionviejo.org/sirepub/agdocs.aspx?doctype=agenda&itemid=34380 or here

Serra's proposal can be found in the support materials for Agenda Item No. 29: or here

Mission Viejo residents have an opportunity to express their opinions by attending the council meeting and making public comments, or they can send an email to all five council members by addressing it to khamman@cityofmissionviejo.org