The county Board of Supervisors will consider declaring a local state of emergency Tuesday in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement raids, alleging they are preventing people from going to work and forcing some businesses to close.
The board last week, on a 4-1 vote, directed county staff to draft the proclamation and bring it back for approval.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced the motion calling for the drafting of the emergency proclamation in response to a report presented to the board by county attorneys on options for possibly enacting an eviction moratorium or other protections for people impacted by the raids.
The Los Angeles Tenants Union advocacy group has been pushing the board for weeks to enact such a moratorium, saying the raids are creating enough fear to prevent people from going to work, or prompting businesses to temporarily close, leaving their employees unable to work.
The county attorney report presented to the board last week noted that an eviction moratorium could be enacted during a declared local emergency, but it would have to be “temporary and narrowly tailored” to address impacts of the emergency, while also protecting landlords’ due process rights and requiring tenants to ultimately repay back rent.
Attorneys said in the report that a local emergency can be declared if there are “conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county.”
The draft of the proclamation going before the board Tuesday states that the raids that began around June 6 “have caused residents to be fearful of leaving their homes, to go to work, take public transportation, access county services including medical services, access open public programs and resources and attend appointments with immigration lawyers and legal service providers.”
The immigration actions “have created a climate of fear, leading to widespread disruption in daily life and adverse impacts to our regional economy due to decreased attendance at workplaces, the temporary or permanent closure of businesses and restaurants and increased strain on our local institutions such as schools, hospitals and places of worship,” according to the proclamation.
The document also cites a recent survey that found a 62% drop in average weekly earning for immigrants. The survey also found that 71% of immigrants have returned to work despite deportation fears, because they were facing possible eviction, and some contended their landlords threatened to report them to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement if they did not pay rent, according to the proclamation.
“Based upon these conditions of extreme peril and the county’s commitment to protect the health, safety and welfare of its residents and property, the county is likely to require resources well beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the county,” the proclamation states. “The mobilization of local resources, and the ability to coordinate interagency response, accelerate procurement of vital supplies, and use of combined forces of other political subdivisions, will be critical to successfully respond to the ongoing conditions and adverse impacts.”
Horvath said last week that immigration raids have instilled fear in the immigrant community, with masked federal agents traveling in unmarked vehicles and acting “without clear adherence to due process protections.” She said those actions “created a climate of fear, leading to widespread disruption in daily life,” with people afraid to go to work, school or church.
She noted that one-third of county residents are immigrants.
Supervisor Hilda Solis also said the raids are having a local impact.
“There is an urgency fiscally,” Solis said. “I just feel this (proclamation) is something we should entertain.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger was the lone dissenter in the 4-1 vote, saying enacting an eviction moratorium could lead to legal challenges.
“The federal government has sole authority to enforce federal immigration law, and local government cannot impede that authority,” Barger said in a statement after the vote. “I believe the county should focus its efforts on advocating for meaningful federal immigration reform. We need policies that are fair, pragmatic, and create legal pathways for individuals who want to remain in the country, work hard, and contribute to their communities.”
If the board does declare a local emergency, it does not automatically mean an eviction moratorium would be enacted. That would require a separate action by the board.
According to Horvath’s office, the proclamation would “empower the county to expedite contracting, procurement, and hiring; request additional financial assistance and mutual aid; and take all necessary emergency actions to support and stabilize impacted communities.”
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