Last Tuesday night our Glendora City Council instructed the Glendora City Attorney to file an Amicus Brief supporting the Federal Lawsuit against the State of California to determine the Constitutional Legality of SB54, the California Sanctuary State Law.
The 4-1 vote came in closed session, with only Karen Davis not agreeing to the action, according to remarks made at the end of last week’s Council meeting, by newly added City Attorney Bill Wynder.
Amicus briefs are legal documents filed in appellate court cases by non-litigants with a strong interest in the subject matter. For those not familiar, California Senate Bill 54 effectively makes California a “Sanctuary State” by legalizing and standardizing statewide non-cooperation policies between California law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities
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That same evening the Santa Clarita City Council agreed to approve a resolution to oppose SB54 as well. Glendora and Santa Clarita were the first known Los Angeles County cities to support the lawsuit. Cities in other Counties, including Orange and San Bernardino Counties have already officially opposed it.
A handful of other cities throughout California have revolted against the Sanctuary State law, with many more now expected. Some of the other cities which have already joined the lawsuit or filed a brief include the first, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo and Beaumont. San Dimas City Council voted on the issue a couple of weeks ago but decided not to oppose it.
The one question is that when State and Federal Laws are at odds, which law is local jurisdictions required to follow? The biggest question among most officials is whether or not California overstepped their authority by instructing local authorities to no longer cooperate with Federal Immigration Authorities.
