Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
A federal judge put the government?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????no-match?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,?? worker enforcement program on hold in October, but contractors and others are abuzz over the plan?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s potential impact. The plan is likely to be implemented in some form over the next year. If implemented, the program would penalize employers who hire workers with suspect social security numbers. Industry groups say that bureaucratic snafus mean many legitimate workers could be flagged, leading to legitimate workers and businesses being fined and fired. Construction and landscape associations in California?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s San Luis Obispo County said the rule could decrease their pool of skilled laborers and hurt the local economy. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????There are a lot of employers who think employees are legal, but (they) aren?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? said Erik Wolting, chairman of the California Landscape Contractors Association?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s San Luis Obispo County chapter, which has 200 members. Not everyone is worried, however. Rob Gillespie, president of GLM Landscape Management, said, ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s our responsibility to hire the right guy and do the right thing. ?EUR??,,????'?????<?????????????(R)? If you want to be in business, you have to follow the rules.?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? Others see the added verification tasks as an annoyance. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s just one more thing to do,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? said Joe Garges, owner of Landmark Landscape Co. in Santa Maria, whose crews work in the county. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s awful. It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s going to affect my business enormously.?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? He employs about 100 workers for commercial and maintenance jobs and said he readily assists them in obtaining proper employment documentation. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????We try our best to do the right thing,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? he added. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????But being responsible for following up is not something I want to do.?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? Sources: San Luis Obispo Tribune, press reports/font>
A federal judge put the government?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????no-match?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,?? worker enforcement program on hold in October, but contractors and others are abuzz over the plan?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s potential impact. The plan is likely to be implemented in some form over the next year.
If implemented, the program would penalize employers who hire workers with suspect social security numbers. Industry groups say that bureaucratic snafus mean many legitimate workers could be flagged, leading to legitimate workers and businesses being fined and fired.
Construction and landscape associations in California?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s San Luis Obispo County said the rule could decrease their pool of skilled laborers and hurt the local economy.
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????There are a lot of employers who think employees are legal, but (they) aren?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? said Erik Wolting, chairman of the California Landscape Contractors Association?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s San Luis Obispo County chapter, which has 200 members.
Not everyone is worried, however.
Rob Gillespie, president of GLM Landscape Management, said, ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s our responsibility to hire the right guy and do the right thing. ?EUR??,,????'?????<?????????????(R)? If you want to be in business, you have to follow the rules.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
Others see the added verification tasks as an annoyance.
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s just one more thing to do,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? said Joe Garges, owner of Landmark Landscape Co. in Santa Maria, whose crews work in the county. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s awful. It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s going to affect my business enormously.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
He employs about 100 workers for commercial and maintenance jobs and said he readily assists them in obtaining proper employment documentation.
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????We try our best to do the right thing,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? he added. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????But being responsible for following up is not something I want to do.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
Sources: San Luis Obispo Tribune, press reports/font>
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.