It may not have been the equivalent of a political earthquake, but the Los Alamitos City Council decision to exempt itself from the California Values Act, the law restricting local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, certainly shook the status quo in the nation’s largest sanctuary state.
The 4-1 vote taken by officials in Orange County’s second-smallest city was an important first step and a giant leap forward in terms of pushing back against the suffocating dictates coming from Gov. Jerry Brown and other open-border advocates in Sacramento.
“California legislators are bullying local elected officials into violating our oath of office,” charged Councilman Warren Kusumoto, the lawmaker who spearheaded the legislation.
Prior to the vote, Kasumoto told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto that the Brown administration has not cracked down yet, but expected they “might come down on us pretty hard.” Noting Los Alamitos gets “a pretty meager amount” in financial assistance from the state, he said they were prepared to reallocate funds or cut services if warranted.
According to Ordinance NO. 2018-03, the city council concluded “it is impossible to honor our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to be in compliance with” the California Values Act. Therefore, the council will exempt itself from Senate Bill 54 and “instead will comply with the appropriate Federal Laws and the Constitution of the United States.”
Before it becomes law, the council must approve it again in a scheduled April 16 vote.
The Americans Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is aggressively fighting attempts to enforce U.S. immigration law throughout the nation, voiced their opposition in a letter to Mayor Troy D. Edgar and City Manager Bret M. Plumlee.
In a Facebook post calling for activists to attend last night’s council meeting, the southern California chapter characterized the ordinance as “a blatant
violation of the City’s legal obligation to follow CA state law and an offensive endorsement of the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant agenda.”
The most significant move against California’s sanctuary status to date was taken by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, which narrowly passed a non-Sanctuary County Resolution in early February.
The Los Alamitos action also directed the city attorney to write an amicus brief in support of the March 7 preemption lawsuit filed against California by the Justice Department.
“There’s been a real shift to a national, xenophobic acceptability in our society that is heartbreaking,” said Rabbi Jonathan Klein, executive director of the Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice group. “We’re in an era of open bigotry.”
The only dissenting voter, Councilman Mark A. Chirco wondered, “Are we not going to follow state law every time we disagree with them? I don’t think that would be prudent.”
Of course that same argument should apply to SB 54 itself and the California officials responsible for enacting it. As Chirco suggests, California officials are free to disagree with federal immigration laws and policies; they are not free to defy them.
11 Comments
I am a Californian and I wish my city will do the same. We can disagree with the Federal Law but we cannot defy it. Governor Brown and our state legislators failed to follow their oath as an elected official to obey the Federal laws. Being politically correct is not a good politician. I am so proud of the City of Los Alamitos and their residents.
I am proud of any one taking action against Brown and his agenda.
Clinton’s, 8 years: Obama another 8 years and our Schools are indoctrination of hate, abuse of teachers, abuse of principal and Vic principal not helping teachers control unruly kids.
Brown’s GOING DOWN and hopevits jail.
Cutting lae enforcement from working with ICE and Border Patrol hasvput everyone in danger.
Go TRUMP.
California Values Act. Appropriately named. Ignore the laws and then attack those who want to follow them. The electoral college part of the Constitution looks wiser all the time. We have the biggest state in the union working hand in hand with the government of Mexico to turn this country over to foreigners. Their refusal to help return illegals to their own country means the illegals have citizen children born here who grow up to be open borders voters. Jerry Brown outright told Mexicans a couple years ago that they were all “welcome” legal or illegal.
It’s typical that Brown is now attacking the critics who accurately predicted that the LA to San Francisco express train would cost far more and take much more time than the original projections of several years ago. If you objected you got called a right winger, as if math somehow has a political bias. Brown’s solution to this is also typical. He says that when the Democrats take over Congress the federal government will pay for it. We didn’t vote for it but we get to pay. Like all the Californians now fleeing that state’s high taxes who move to other states and then keep voting for the same idiocies. It’s like a virus of stupidity.
Bravo , Los Alamitos . Hopefully Fresno is next . All it takes is one city at a time . Nothing Beccera or Moonbeam can do . If jailed for violating state law . Then we jail them for violating Federal Law . That Simple
I suggest that ILLEGAL ALIENS commence and immediate ‘boycott’ of Los Alamitos! Lawbreakers are welcome to go to Nancy Pelosi’s district and crap on the sidewalks.
Great idea!
I wonder if they could be convinced to boycott Texas while they’re at it?
Even better, does anyone know the address of Mayor Schaaf of Oakland? Crapping on her lawn by thousands of illegals, dumping used tacos in her bushes? I’d pay to watch that.
For once, some common sense coming out of California. Bravo!
This is such a breath of fresh air for those of us who still believe in the rule law!!
Los Alamitos – I am so proud of you and I bet thousands of other Californians are too.
Federal and Constitutional Law trumps State Laws ….