On August 3rd, 2015, four of the five city council members of Huntington Park, CA voted to appoint two illegal aliens, Julian Zatarain and Francisco Medina, to two city commissions. In an attempt to force the complex immigration debate further toward amnesty for all, beyond California Governor Jerry Brown’s illegal alien welcome mat, the all-Democratic city leadership in the “City of Perfect Balance” decided to shred the amnesty envelope and grant honoraria positions to two illegals, who had in fact served as volunteers on Councilmember Jhonny Pineda’s election campaign.
Huntington Park’s brazen violation of federal law generated interest from the national press, local residents, specifically a coalition of concerned citizens called “We the People Rising”. Headed by Upland, CA resident Robin Hvidston, this group has been putting pressure on elected officials – local, state, and federal – to enforce our country’s immigration laws and put Americans first.
Since meeting and working with them, I have been reporting on our activities against the city council, filled with the sound and fury of a wrestling match, but the underlying fight signifies so much. If this city gets away with flouting federal law and diminishing citizenship, where will it stop? Public servants must be legal residents. They take an oath to respect the California and United States Constitution, the document which begins and ends with “We the people,” which implies “We the Citizens”. Conservatives, including myself, are now learning this lesson on political activism: “We the People” means us, and it means that we must fight for what is right, instead of waiting for the right advocacy group, political candidate, or elected official to fight the fight for us.
Since the last city council meeting, when I was unceremoniously removed from the council chambers, concerned citizens – yes, citizens -- have not ceased to keep our faces seen, and our voices heard, about the Huntington Park, CA City Council’s egregious appointments, along with the city’s record of dysfunction and corruption.
I confronted Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Commerce, CA) about the appointments. The double-talk and excuses I got from her were ridiculous. She even contended that if the two illegals were committing a crime, Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) officers could arrest and deport them right away. The problem is enforcement, not the law. Just because men and women (or law enforcement) do not enforce the law does not mean the law is not worth following. Constituents in the district have often complained about her. “She doesn’t do sh---t!”. Like many Congressional representatives, Roybal-Allard wants to be liked, not take hard votes or strong positions, and avoid controversy at all costs. Not this time.
The city council’s latest step toward lawlessness and anarchy has to be stopped, and more Californians are pushing back, taking this fight outside of the council chambers. We are exposing the controversial current city attorney, Arnold Alvarez-Glasman. Feeling the heat of a restive citizenry fed up with illegal immigration, he answered all my questions about his current appointment, but skipped the latest city council meeting. The Chamber of Commerce is hearing from us, too.
Residents are flexing the power of “The Freedom of Information Act”, too, and the Huntington Park City Clerk (getting ruder and more frustrated every day) sees more of us citizen lobbyists and investigators. My latest request demanded all the information available regarding the LiveScan process followed by the swearing in of the two illegal aliens. How can two undocumented individuals pass a background check if they have no documents? One local reporter agreed with me: that’s a really good question! (Hint: with fake documents, also against the law).
Before the meeting, I spoke with the chief of police about the LiveScan process and the lack of enforcement. I even told the chief that I had taken his advice and contacted the Congresswoman about this issue. He couldn’t resolve the discrepancy between the Congresswoman’s excuses and the confusion over enforcement and jurisdiction.
Before public comment, the city council discussed a major problem plaguing the city: illegal immigration. Nope, just kidding! They talked about the dirty consequences of illegal dumping in the city. Residents are throwing furniture, mattresses, all sorts of despicable refuse onto sidewalks, into alleys, and along city streets. The urban blight is an ugly sight, and the number one plight for the city council? They do not respect the sovereignty of the United States of America, or the state of California, yet they complain about residents not obeying the laws and littering all over the city. The irony was beyond telling for the rest of the audience, made up primarily of pro-America and pro-legal immigration supporters.
During the meeting, protesters of all backgrounds pounded the city council for their ongoing disobedience to the US Constitution and immigration laws. And we had fun fighting the good fight. Robert Newman mocked the council’s argument about appointing illegal aliens to better represent the community demographics. Why not appoint gang members, criminals, and some of the dumped furniture, too? Undocumented furniture? Deport the couch, now! Wes Parker made further light of the city council’s double-standard: “I am going to respect your sovereignty, and self-deport myself from this microphone!”
On a more serious note, John Wesley Nobles listed his military record, as well as those of his ancestors, then asked: “What happened to honor, duty, and country? Our state is becoming a sanctuary state. The illegal aliens aren’t being discriminated against. The American taxpayers are.” In my comments, I not only blasted the illegal appointments, but criticized some of the pro-illegal alien supporters. In previous comments, one person had christened Huntington Park a “Brown Town”, and another pro-illegal alien agitator told one of the African-American protesters to “Go back to Africa”. So much for tolerance.
We the People are not letting the rogue Huntington Park city council get away with anything. We are fighting the good fight here, and loving every minute of it.