Political rebellion is brewing in Southern California over the state’s official sanctuary policies. On Monday, the Los Alamitos City Council voted in favor of an ordinance that would allow local officials and police to abide by the Constitution and help federal immigration enforcement officials to detain and deport illegal aliens.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) has already made clear that it will help sue the small city of fewer than 12,000 residents if it does not comply with California state law:
"The city council is obligated to follow state law and can't pick and choose what laws they want to follow." - @ACLU_SoCal staff attorney Sameer Ahmed on Los Alamitos opting out of CA being a #SanctuaryState
— AirTalk (@AirTalk) March 20, 2018
California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, who is currently running against Dianne Feinstein for the U.S. Senate, has also already threatened any other parts of California that want to follow suit with Los Alamitos. According to the Ventura County Star:
California’s Senate leader Kevin de León, who authored Senate Bill 54, defended the state law and said it complies with federal law.
The council’s “symbolic vote in favor of President Trump’s racist immigration enforcement policies is disappointing,” de León said in an email.
“Local governments that attempt to break state law will saddle their residents with unnecessary and expensive litigation costs.”
Even with these attempts at intimidation from left-wing activist groups and leading Democrat politicians, a growing number of local government officials in Orange County are speaking out publicly to support the adoption of more anti-sanctuary ordinances.
Among them is Mayor Dave Harrington of Aliso Viejo, who told reporters that he applauded the Los Alamitos City Council for standing up to California’s sanctuary policy: “It is a great thing what they did…I think they were spot-on; that we take the oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States.” Harrington said that his city council is contemplating a similar policy course at its April 4 meeting. Likewise, Buena Park Councilwoman Beth Swift told the press that she intends on pushing for her city council to look at implementing anti-sanctuary policies.
At the state political level, Assemblyman Travis Allen, who represents both Los Alamitos and the far larger city of Huntington Beach, has praised his smaller constituency: “Tiny Los Alamitos has kicked open the door and now other cities across California are looking to get onboard and stand up against the illegal sanctuary state.” Allen also told reporters that Huntington Beach local officials have been looking into passing a similar ordinance in the near future.
Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel, whose district encompasses Buena Park, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach, and several other municipalities, has expressed support for a countywide law that would reject California’s sanctuary laws. In a press statement, she said:
“I thank the City of Los Alamitos for standing up for its citizens and rejecting the so-called ‘sanctuary’ legislation passed in Sacramento, and I urge the County of Orange and all of our cities to do the same.”
Given the fact that Orange County is the sixth largest in the entire United States by population (with roughly 3 million residents in total), a big nullification push there would be significant news indeed.