Bill to Ban Use of Masks By Law Enforcement During Public Interactions Gains Council Backing

The City Council on Monday voted to support state legislation prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing masks or personal disguises while interacting with the public, with limited exceptions.

Senate Bill 627, introduced by state Senators Scott Wiener, Jesse Arreguin, and Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, seeks to increase transparency and accountability by ensuring officers can be visibly identified during public duties.

Mayor Victor Gordo will send letters to lawmakers stating Pasadena’s support for the bill.

SB 627 would make it a crime for any officer — local, state, or federal — to wear a mask while interacting with the public, unless the officer is engaged in an undercover operation or wearing protective gear.

Specific exceptions include the use of medical-grade masks to prevent disease transmission, equipment for protection from wildfire smoke, and gear used by SWAT teams.

The move comes in response to community concerns following several Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Pasadena in recent weeks.

Residents have reported that ICE agents conducting these operations frequently wore face coverings, concealing their identities and agency affiliations.

The masked presence has prompted complaints and fear among community members, some of whom questioned whether the individuals were legitimate federal agents or impersonators.

“Allowing officers’ faces to be seen will help allay these fears,” the City staff report stated.

Last week a federal judge barred ICE officers from making stops based on race and also ruled that all detainees be allowed access to legal counsel.

Three of the plaintiffs in that case were detained in Pasadena.

“U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled that the evidence presented showed that federal immigration enforcement officials engaged in unlawful detentions without reasonable suspicion—a Fourth Amendment violation—when they seized the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit,” the City said in a statement. “She also ruled that the federal government violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution by failing to provide access to legal representation to those detained.”

The City said the ruling affirms that the United States Constitution protects the fundamental rights of all people. Attorneys for the City, a proposed intervenor in this lawsuit, were among the lawyers who appeared at the hearing before Judge Frimpong.