County Hits Sanctuary Plan, Challenges City

In a repeat condemnation of the Los Angeles City Council’s recently adopted sanctuary resolution, county supervisors Tuesday called on the city to share in the added costs associated with any influx of new refugees.

Mayor Tom Bradley, meanwhile, has yet to take a position on the sanctuary resolution. Bradley, who returned Sunday from a trip to the Far East, told reporters Monday night that he has yet to review last Wednesday’s council action, which does not require his signature.

“When I get to it, I’ll decide if I agree with it,” Bradley said while attending a fund-raiser for a City Council hopeful, Assemblyman Richard Alatorre (D-Los Angeles).

Called Deceptive

On a 3-2 vote, split along conservative-liberal lines, the Board of Supervisors majority called the council’s controversial vote to declare Los Angeles a “city of sanctuary” for Central American refugees “deceptive and indefensible.”

Supervisor Deane Dana, who led Tuesday’s opposition to the resolution, predicted that the council action will lead to increased health, court and other county costs as refugees wind up on welfare rolls.

Noting that the city has a reserve fund while the county is in a fiscal jam, Dana said Los Angeles “ought to put their money where their mouth is” and help pay any additional costs stemming from the resolution.

Backed by 2 Others

Dana’s motion was supported by fellow conservatives Pete Schabarum and Mike Antonovich.

Supervisor Ed Edelman, voting no, said the city’s sanctuary motion is only symbolic. Edelman noted that local law enforcement agencies do not make people prove their citizenship because such inquiries might discourage crime reports.

To that argument, Antonovich said, “There is no law-abiding illegal alien here. That’s a contradiction in terms.”

Last week, in advance of the council’s vote, the board voted 4 to 1 to urge rejection of the sanctuary proposal. This week, however, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn switched his vote and sided with Edelman.