[speeder]

The problem is that there is effectively zero percent unemployment in the construction industry in Southern California, (and a few other places). The construction boom in DTLA is the biggest since the 1920s.

Let that sink in a bit. Los Angeles was mostly built in the 1920s. Most of the buildings that are not modern in DTLA were built in the 1920s. And that is just downtown. Add in the boom in Hollywood and everywhere else. There are massive apartment buildings being built on every block in the city, practically.

Anyone w a pulse can get a job in construction right now and at a decent wage. You were lucky to find an old guy who wanted to work a few days.