Following more than two years of controversy and lawsuits, the Los Alamitos city council voted unanimously this week to repeal an ordinance that sparked protests and gained national attention.
Approval of the so-called antiSanctuary City ordinance back in early 2018 set off a political firestorm that saw dozens of California cities follow suit.
The ordinance attempted to exempt the city from compliance with the California Values Act, a state statute that limited local governments from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
Meeting by video conference on Monday, the city council voted unanimously repeal the ordinance that opted out of the CVA. According to some, the ordinance had also caused fear and divisions in the city.
Although the ordinance repeal passed unanimously, council member Shelley Hasselbrink said “with the threat of being sued into bankruptcy, I reluctantly say yes.”
In early 2018, a standing-room only crowd watched as the Council debated the original ordinance. The local ordinance was authored by then council member Warren Kusumoto, who resigned his seat in December of 2019 to accept a position with his company that required him to move to the east coast.
“We are a charter city,” Kusumoto then told an ABC7 reporter, “and if the state can ignore federal law, by the same token our city should be able to ignore state law.”
“We really don’t believe in the sanctuary bill and we would like to take a position to state our case and make it clear to our residents where we stand,” then Mayor Troy Edgar was quoted as saying.
Edgar has since termed out and accepted a position in Washington in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Although Los Alamitos was the first city to make such a declaration, they were not alone. Shortly after the vote, more than 60 cities, including Huntington Beach, followed suit.
The death blow to the Los Al ordinance came on April 2 when the state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal to a ruling delivered by an Appeals Court which had overturned a Superior Court’s decision in favor of Huntington Beach over the same issue.
A memo from city attorney Michael Daudt recommended the repeal as part of a settlement agreement with the ACLU, which had sued the city on behalf of Los Alamitos Community
United.
He noted repeal would “avoid the expense of continuing litigation.”
Pastor Sam Mullen, a plantiff and vocal opponent of the ordinance, applauded the council action Monday and said the city could now begin to heal. He said the Council was “taking the right steps” to eliminate what he said was “fear” growing in the community.
“There is tremendous affirmation from the community and this reverses much division and discord,” said Mullen.
“This really lifts up the hope that this can be the start of rebuilding of public trust in the community,” he said. “It shows that the climate has really changed in the city of Los Alamitos,” said Mullen, adding that “a lot of clergy and religious leaders of different faiths’ were in favor of the move.
Mullen said the community was now in a “better place.”
Other than Hasselbrink’s brief comment, no other member of the council said anything as they voted to repeal their earlier ordinance.
Members of the public, however, had submitted numerous comments on the issue.
City Clerk Windy Quintanar said the city received 28 comments on the issue.
“In all times — and even more so in these days when we are doing our best to respond to the COVID-19, public trust and solidarity among community members is essential to the common good,” said Greg Walgenbach, Director of Life, Justice and Peace, Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.
“Where that trust is lacking or seeds of division sown, there can be no peace and flourishing in the city,” he added.
