In a 3-1 vote on Tuesday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a letter of support for Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act, which would further limit state and local law enforcement agencies’ involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
Marin is now the third county in the state to join a growing list of labor, health, education, immigration and civil rights groups in support of the bill.
In voting against the resolution, Supervisor Judy Arnold echoed arguments put forth by Sheriff Robert Doyle, particularly around exceptions the bill makes in its protections for criminals. Sheriff Doyle, the only person to speak against the resolution during the public comment period on Tuesday, joins many other law enforcement leaders across the state who oppose the bill.
Sen. Kevin de León first introduced the legislation in December in response to the Trump administration’s unforgiving immigration stance. The bill bars state and local law enforcement agencies from using public resources—including money, facilities, property, equipment or personnel—for immigration enforcement purposes. These agencies would also be prohibited from providing information regarding immigration status, or from detaining or transferring individuals to federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant.
Supervisor Dennis Rodoni called the county’s support a “powerful statement of inclusion.”
“As the representative of the district most vulnerable to these [potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids and targeted acts, I approached this decision through a particular lens,” he said before casting his vote. “Through that lens, I see the families impacted, workers impacted, and my friends and neighbors impacted. They depend on our county government for some sense of security—and that’s what this bill is all about.”
In addition to limiting local agencies’ collaboration with federal immigration enforcement efforts, the bill also requires that all state public schools, health facilities and courthouses implement an equivalent policy limiting immigration enforcement.
Despite strong opposition—primarily from law enforcement—across the state, the senate approved S.B. 54 in April along party lines, with 27 Democrats in favor and 13 Republicans against. The assembly, which also has a Democratic majority, is expected to vote on the bill in the next couple of weeks.
Though it was introduced as an urgency measure—meaning it would go into effect immediately after it was signed by the governor—Sen. de León stripped the bill of its urgency status, lowering the bar for passage from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority vote and delaying its implementation until Jan. 1.
West Marin residents were among the dozen people to comment before the vote. Myn Adess, speaking on behalf of West Marin Standing Together, said local immigrant families are deeply concerned about their future.
“Already, 130 families have assigned legal guardianship to others in the case that they are separated from their children. Showing support for the bill sends a strong message that we don’t support deportation in our communities,” she said.
Only Sheriff Doyle spoke out against the bill and supervisors’ support for it. “The bill is being packaged as immigration reform, but that’s not what it’s about. We only communicate with ICE when people are already in the county jail, and those people are not innocent—they are there for a crime,” he said. He then illustrated some of the crimes that have landed individuals in jail in recent weeks who have subsequently been interviewed by ICE.
The four supervisors in favor of the resolution made a point of thanking law enforcement, and often Sheriff Doyle in particular, for the service of keeping the county safe.
For Stephen Bingham, a retired attorney from San Rafael, the fact that the board approved a resolution the sheriff publicly opposed was “politically significant.” “Historically, the board has been rather weak-kneed in the face of the Sheriff’s Office, and so this is refreshing,” he said.
Like Sheriff Doyle, Supervisor Arnold argued that although the bill excludes certain cases from protection—namely when individuals are convicted of a “serious” or “violent” crime—it does not exclude enough, such as sexual felonies, spousal abuse, drunk driving and burglary in any case except first degree.
(In fact, the bill was introduced without the limitations, but amendments later added them in response to concerns from law enforcement. Felonies that would qualify include murder or voluntary manslaughter and a number of sexual felonies punishable by death or imprisonment for life in state prison.)
Yet both Mr. Bingham and Susan Scott, an Inverness resident and founding board member of the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin, responded that the crimes legally categorized as “serious” and “violent” have been long established. They applauded the bill for adhering to these existing distinctions rather than “reinventing the wheel.”
Mr. Bingham also argued that S.B. 54 does not prevent law enforcement from “doing what it needs to do in regards to serious criminals,” but only mandates that it take individual cases before a judge before acting on any potential immigration status issues.
During his public comments, Sheriff Doyle raised another fear: that “ICE will…simply wait until those people get out of jail, and be forced to come into neighborhoods and places of employment.”
Numerous supervisors responded that keeping ICE out of the community is a top priority—and that’s precisely why they support the bill. Supervisor Kathrin Sears emphasized that her support shows that “we cannot give in to [federal] threats to our community [that] counter our values.”
Tuesday’s vote is the not first time this spring that Marin supervisors have spoken out against the immigration policies emerging out of Washington. They unanimously passed a resolution in March affirming the “unity, community security, dignity and due process” for all residents. The measure committed the county to “provide essential services to all county residents regardless of immigration status,” and directed Health and Human Services to review its confidentiality policies.
Correction: The board voted 3-1, not 4-1, as we originally reported. Supervisor Katie Rice was absent.