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Unofficial until approved by the
Alhambra City Council
MINUTES
Special Meeting
ALHAMBRA CITY COUNCIL
July 7 , 2025
2:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL: At 6:06 p.m., on Monday, May 12, 2025, the Alhambra City Council met in the Council Chambers of Alhambra City Hall.
PRESENT: MAZA, MALONEY, WANG, ANDRADE-STADLER, LEE
ABSENT: NONE
Officials Present : City Manager Binnquist, Assistant City Manager Garcia, Deputy City Manager Hembree, City Attorney Montes, City Clerk Myles, Director of Parks and Recreation Macias, Director of Finance Lieu, Director of Community Development Ho, Principal Planner McCurley, Director of Public Works and Utilities Ahlen, Chief of Police Kennedy, Battalion Chief Brown , Director of Library Services LohGuan, Director of Human Resources Ko, Manager Analyst Alvarez CITY CLERK REPORT - NOTICE NO. N2M2 5- 87
The City Clerk hereby report ed that she duly gave notice of the special meeting of the City Council being held this afternoon pursuant to the order of the Mayor and in accordance with Section 54956 of the Government Code of the State of California.
PRESENTATION
1 . DISCUSSION REGARDING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES – F2M25-7
City Manager BINNQUIST delivered a staff report. At the June 23, 2025 City Council meeting it was requested staff bring back information on recent Federal immigration enforcement activities within the City . Staff , including City Attorney MONTES and Chief of Police KENNEDY, pr ovide d information regarding Federal immigration enforcement in the City ; the Alhambra Police Department ’s operations in accordance with the California Values Act (SB54) ; the City Council ’s previous public affirmations of the City ’s adherence to the California Values Act (SB54) ; notable bills pending in the California legislature, SB805 (Pérez) and SB627 (Weiner); and, helpful resources staff has identified for those impacted by recent events including, but not limited to, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, National Immigration Law Center, Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles (CARECEN) . After Council discussion, it was requested the Council provide direction to staff on an updated statement, pending legislation, a resource webpage, or other action deemed appropriate.
Public Comment:
The following people expressed concern about the safety of the community, spoke against recent federal immigration enforcement actions and spoke in favor of the community resolution submitted to Council :
1) Elsa Guttierez-Aviles, 3401 Julep Place
2) Arlene Rios, 101 S. Cordova St.
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3) Nora Hernandez, 1128 N. Monterey St.
4) David Bond also requested further restrictions against masked vigilantes and bounty hunters acting on behalf of ICE.
5) Bill Kelly, 1852 Oxley St., South Pasadena
6) Beverly Murata, 13 Palmetto Dr. , also requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents.
7) Michael Alexander Jones, 200 N. 5 th St., also requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents.
8) Ivonne
9) Prranit
10) Pablo Garcia, 1017 S. 1 st St.
11) Edward Escarcega also criticized the recent statement released by the city for not speaking out against immigration enforcement actions.
12) Emily Greenfield, resident of Pasadena, also requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents
13) Angela, resident of Monterey Park, also spoke regarding statements made by the city of Monterey Park and requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents 14) Mimi Li, 619 S. Chapel Ave.
15) Melissa Michelson, representing SGV Progressive Alliance 16) Marco S., representing the Peace and Freedom Party, also criticized the recent statement released by the city for not speaking out against recent actions , criticized the Police Department for their inaction and criticized the police and prison system . 17) Lewis McCammon, 105 N. Cordova St., also spoke regarding a new path to citizenship, the need for DACA students to receive citizenship, the need for a reaffirmation of the 14 th Amendment protecting birthright citizenship, and continued to speak regarding the history of immigration in the United States.
18) Natalie Zarowni, 701 Westminster Ave., also requested better communication between the City and the community regarding this topic.
19) Kristin Keenan, 233 S. Meridian Ave., also spoke regarding the need for law enforcement to defend the Constitution, enforcement of California law SB 830.10 which requires law enforcement to show identification, and requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents.
20) James Johnson, via Zoom, also requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents.
21) Ari Gutierrez Arambula, via Zoom, also requested greater communication between the Police Department and the community and spoke regarding the economic impact of fear within the community.
22) Raul Barrera, via Zoom, also criticized the statement released by the City . 23) Jasmin, a resident of Alhambra, also spoke regarding the need to protect constitutional rights and requested the Police Department verify the identity of federal agents.
Public comment received via email and on file in the City Clerk ’s office:
1) Melissa Michelson, submitted a draft resolution titled, “City of Alhambra Condemns Aggressive and Non-Transparent Federal Immigration Enforcement Tactics, Reaffirms Commitment to Constitutional and Community Safety Principles, and Directs Proactive Local Response Measures, ” on behalf of the SGV Progressive Alliance, Alhambra Tenants Union, Alhambra Community Group, and the Northeast Los Angeles Alliance for Democracy . A copy of the draft resolution is on file in the City Clerk ’s office. 2) Gerry Fagoaga wrote in support of the community resolution.
Discussion: Council each addressed the concerns of the community and the fears surrounding separation of families, racial profiling, individuals impersonating federal agents, and broad sweeping immigration enforcement actions. Council each expressed their own 3 7-7-25
concerns with recent events. Council also each shared their personal stories. Councilmember MAZA and Mayor LEE shared their immigration stories. Vice Mayor MALONEY shared his mother ’s story as a Japanese American family incarcerated during World War II. Council also thanked the Police Department for their work and emphasized their role in keeping the community safe.
Mr. MAZA and Chief KENNEDY discussed potential traffic citations for tinted windows on cars, per California law. They also discussed the request for Police officers to verify the identity of federal agents. Chief KENNEDY clarified that under federal law, federal agents are not required to produce their identification. Councilmember WANG and Chief KENNEDY discussed APD ’s current protocol in responding to calls of people impersonating an officer or unmarked suspicious cars. Ms. WANG and Chief KENNEDY discussed reports on social media regarding ICE raids and Chief KENNEDY confirmed that Alhambra Police Department was not aware of any broad sweeping immigration enforcement in Alhambra . He stated that APD checked into some of the social media posts, that there had been targeted operations, and that when APD contacted federal agencies for confirmation they sometimes provided information. Chief KENNEDY confirmed that APD had not received any calls for kidnapping.
Ms. WANG and City Attorney MONTES discussed California penal code and federal regulations regarding border patrol and federal immigration officers. Ms. WANG addressed the public and emphasized the importance of calling the Police department to report suspicious activity, regardless of immigration status. She stated that Alhambra could not solve national problems, but that the City could ensure local practices reflect the local values of safety, dignity, and due process for everybody who resides in Alhambra.
Mr. MALONEY discussed the limitations faced by APD in interfering with federal agencies and the ways in which the City could better serve the community . He spoke regarding the statement released by the City and the resolution presented by community groups. Mr. MALONEY suggested the City could combine the concepts and statements from both in a responsible way. He requested a more robust list of City resources, specifically resources for the AAPI population, and requested that all information be provided in multiple languages.
Councilmember ANDRADE-STADLER referred to the statement released by the National League of Cities and listed instances of immigration enforcement which she had either witnessed personally, was verbally informed of, or had seen on social media. She echoed her colleagues and spoke regarding the responsibility of the City and specifically the Police Department, the responsibility of federal law, and the need for federal agents to identify themselves. She requested that Council consider adopting the resolution presented by the community groups with possible addendums, require that all law enforcement officers wear a badge, make 911 the official number for the public to call for assistance with suspicious activity, and that s taff to look for funding to help support ongoing needs of the immigrant community in collaboration with the Alhambra Unified School District and All Soul ’s Church. She referred to the recent “Know Your Rights ” workshop held at the Alhambra Civic Center Library and discussed other library resources. She went on to suggest that the Library provide citizenship classes, that the City provide online support, and that Council support SB 805 and SB 627.
She requested that Council support the community resolution.
Mayor LEE spoke regarding the challenges of recognizing misinformation which could cause more fear. She thanked Ms. Andrade-Stalder for her information and shared her concerns regarding families separated by immigration status or those who have been detained. She stressed that should the public hear about ICE activity, they should verify the situation. Ms.
LEE and Chief KENNEDY discussed Homeland Security ’s process in providing information to the City , the calls received by APD, and Police response. Ms. LEE agreed with her colleague ’s comments and requested that the statement released by the City be updated to include information for the public. When asked regarding the community resolution by Mr. MAZA, Ms. 4 7-7-25
LEE stated that she could not approve adopting the resolution because she did not agree with the entirety of the document.
After some discussion, Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER motioned to approve the resolution but added that it should be further reviewed by the City Attorney to verify the legality. Mr.
MALONEY made reference to specific sections of the resolution and made several suggestions to clarify statements after legal review and combine or omit statement which were redundant. Mr. MALONEY and Mr. MONTES discussed the exploration of legal remedies. Mr.
MALONEY suggested resolved clause #6 be changed to “Explore legal avenues to address impacts on cities and their residents. ” Mr. MALONEY and Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER discussed monitoring and reco rding incidents. Mr. MALONEY suggested all language specifically identify federal immigration enforcement in the C ity . Mr. MALONEY, Chief KENNEDY, and Mr. MONTES discussed Police Department policy in verifying warrants. Mr.
MALONEY suggested changing the language in resolved #3 to “The Police Department will request a copy of warrant from any purported immigration officer and verify that it has been signed by a judge. Ms. BINNQUIST and Mr. MALONEY discussed this suggestion with regards to other calls made to the Police D epartment.
Ms. WANG stated that she supported the spirit and intent of the draft resolution but that she wanted to steer clear of legal ramifications. She suggested staff further review the document, write a new resolution which would combine the statement released which was supported by Council, and return with the new draft resolution at the next regular City Council meeting for review. Ms. LEE, Ms. WANG, and Mr. MAZA discussed Ms. Wang ’s suggestion, the current motion on the floor made by Ms. Andrade-Stadler. Mr. MAZA and Ms. LEE supported Ms.
Wang ’s suggestion. Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER withdrew her motion, agreed with Ms. Wang ’s suggestion, and further suggested that staff carefully review resolved statement #3 regarding the monitoring and verification. Mr. MALONEY also supported Ms. Wang ’s suggestion. Council continued to discuss Ms. Wang ’s suggestion and directed staff to return with a modified resolution based on their comments.
Action Taken : City Council directed staff to return with a modified resolution based on Council comments.
Vote: Moved: WANG Seconded: MALONEY
Ayes: MAZA, MALONEY, WANG, ANDRADE-STADLER, LEE
Noes: NONE
Absent: NONE
CLOSED SESSION & CITY ATTORNEY ANNOUNCEMENT re SAME - F2M25-14 City Attorney MONTES identified those items listed on this evening ’s agenda which would be discussed in Closed Session as follows:
Conference with Legal Counsel - Anticipated Litigation : Initiation of litigation pursuant to Govt. Code Section 54956.9(d)(4): 1 matter
whereupon at 5:0 9 p.m. the City Council moved into closed session pursuant to applicable law, including the Brown Act (Government Code Sec. 54950, et seq.) for the purpose of conferring with the City Attorney.
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RECONVENE & CITY ATTORNEY REPORT: At 5:31 p.m. the City Council moved out of closed session with Councilmembers Lee, Andrade-Stadler, and Maza present. Councilmembers Wang and Maloney were absent.
ADJOURNMENT: At 5:31 p.m. there being no further business for the Council to transact, the Mayor , with the consent of the City Council, adjourned the meeting.
LAUREN MYLES, CMC
CITY CLERK
by
BRIANNA LAMB MCCARTHY
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK