After an intense five-hour debate on Monday, Los Alamitos (shown) council members voted in favor of an ordinance that opposes the state’s sanctuary laws. The 4-1 vote marks the second time council members voted in favor of the ordinance, as city law requires the council to read the measure a second time before officially approving it.
The ordinance exempts the city from SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, which prohibits state and local agencies from enforcing immigration laws or working with immigration enforcement agencies. The ordinance notes that the state’s law “may be in direct conflict with federal laws and the Constitution of the United States.” It also states the council “finds that it is impossible to honor our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” if it does not exempt itself from the state’s sanctuary law, the Orange County Register reports.
The sole “no” vote came from Councilman Mark A. Chrico, who claims the ordinance is “divisive, ineffective, flawed, and risky.”
The vote took place as a raucous rally was being staged outside of City Hall, the OC Register reports. Approximately 25 police officers from Los Alamitos and nearby cities were called in to break up small skirmishes outside of the building, where ralliers reportedly “got in each other’s faces with cameras, banners, and bullhorns.” More than 200 people gathered outside City Hall, the Orange County Register reports, but the rally was largely peaceful.
During the debate leading up to the vote, both sides reportedly became contentious, and the debate escalated at times with the use of “inappropriate words and actions,” according to the Orange County Register.
Former Los Alamitos mayor Gerri Mejia spoke out, encouraging the council to support the anti-sanctuary measure. “Stand strong. I think that you have done what you are called to do and protect this community,” she said. “Know that we are here and behind you.”
Three former council members also spoke in support of the ordinance, encouraging the council to stay steadfast in its convictions despite the threats of legal action. “Do not waver in the threat of litigation,” former Councilman Art DeBolt urged them.
State Senator Kevin de Leon, who authored SB 54, threatened cities that considered going against the state’s sanctuary laws with litigation last month. “Pushing a racist and anti-immigrant agenda devoid of facts or supporting legal analysis is a pretty sad use of taxpayer resources, especially when it could result in crippling legal costs for cities that rush to join this dead-end effort,” he said in a written statement.
The ACLU of Southern California also threatened to file a lawsuit against Los Alamitos if it went forward with the ordinance.
Shortly after the vote, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) tweeted that the ordinance is “a blatant violation of the city’s obligation to follow a state law that puts our local resources to use for the safety of our communities rather than toward federal immigration agencies.”
Los Alamitos joins a dozen other California cities that voiced opposition to the state’s sanctuary laws. Since the council’s original March 19 vote on the ordinance, a number of other Orange County cities and the county Board of Supervisors have either passed anti-sanctuary resolutions or have joined the federal lawsuit by the Trump administration against the state’s sanctuary laws.
A clear trend is underway as the Orange County cities of Dana Point, Lake Forest, and Laguna Niguel are scheduled to consider anti-sanctuary resolutions this week, and Riverside County cities of Beaumont and Murrieta are considering taking official stances against the state’s sanctuary laws, the OC Register reports.
San Diego appears poised to take a stance against the state’s sanctuary laws as well. On Tuesday, San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar appeared on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends and stated “San Diegans are finally waking up.”
“In San Diego County we manage a $5.7 billion budget on the county board of supervisors. Only $1.7 billion is in our direct control. The rest are decisions being made by the state and the federal government,” she elaborated. “These are oftentimes harmful decisions that are impacting San Diegans. Governor Brown needs to follow the laws of our Constitution.”
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider joining the Trump administration’s lawsuit against the state of California on Tuesday.
