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RESOLUTION NO. 2026-R
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, RESTRICTING THE USE OF
CITY-OWNED OR CITY -CONTROLLED PROPERTY FOR
FEDERAL CIVIL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
ACTIVITIES.
WHEREAS, the City of Culver City is home to people of diverse racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds, including a large immigrant population; and WHEREAS, immigrants are valuable and essential members of the City of Culver City community who contribute to the City’s economic, civic, and cultural vitality ; and
WHEREAS, a strong and trusting relationship between the City’s immigrant communities and the City, including its departments, programs, and personnel, is essential to the public safety and well-being of all residents and visitors of the City; and WHEREAS, such trust is undermined when state and local agencies become entangled with federal civil immigration enforcement, causing immigrant community members and visitors to fear reporting crimes, seeking City services, accessing City facilities, or engaging in civi c life, which detracts from the safety and welfare of the entire community; and
WHEREAS, the federal government, through U.S. and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has undertaken broad civil immigration enforcement operations involving personnel from multiple federal agencies in ways that have generated concern and fear among local communities; and
WHEREAS, state and local governments, such as the City of Culver City, are primarily responsible for ensuring the safety and well -being of their communities and
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possess the discretion and authority to adopt policies best suited to those communities; and
WHEREAS, the City of Culver City believes public safety is best achieved through trust and collaboration between its community and local government, including its departments and personnel, and not through the militarization or deputization of local resources in service of federal civil immigration enforcement; and WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has long recognized that state and local governments retain primary authority over matters affecting the health, safety, and welfare of their residents, and that decisions concerning local public resources are best made by governments closest and most accountable to the people they serve; and
WHEREAS, California Constitution Article XI, Section 7 states that a city may make and enforce within its limits all local, police, and other regulations not in conflict with general laws; and
WHEREAS, in furtherance of the City’s values and its rights pursuant to law, on March 27, 2017, the City Council adopted Resolution 2017-R025, declaring Culver City to be a Sanctuary City for all its residents regardless of immigration status; and WHEREAS, implementing an “ICE -Free Zone” policy to protect public safety, ensure community members feel safe accessing City services and facilities, and prevent voluntary use of City property to support federal civil immigration enforcement would allow the City to continue to further protect public safety and promote community trust during these times where fear and concern is prevalent among the community; and WHEREAS, as such, the City of Culver City desires to ensure City-owned or City-controlled property is not voluntarily used to support federal civil immigration activities
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except when mandated by law, such as a valid judicial warrant or court order, through the establishment of administrative procedures as outlined herein.
NOW, THEREFORE , the City Council of the City of Culver City DOES HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:
Section 1. In furtherance of the City of Culver City’s policy agenda as a Sanctuary City, the City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, shall develop administrative procedures to implement the following restrictions regarding City-owned and City-controlled property:
1. Prohibited Uses of City Property . Unless required by a valid judicial warrant or court order, no department, employee, official, contractor, or agent of the City shall knowingly permit City -owned or City -controlled property to be used for staging civil immigration enforcement operations; processing, interviewing, or temporarily detaining individuals for civil immigration purposes; surveillance or monitoring activities related to civil immigration enforcement; or as operations bases, coordination points, or logistical hubs for civil immigration enforcement actions.
2. E
xceptions. Nothing in the administrative procedures shall prohibit federal officers or employees from entering areas of City property generally open to the public, the City or any City employee from complying with a valid judicial warrant or court order, or criminal law enforcement activities where civil immigration enforcement is not the primary purpose.
3. I
mplementation. City of Culver City departments shall receive training, as appropriate, regarding the administrative procedures developed and issued pursuant to this Resolution.
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4. Enforcement; No Private Right of Action. The administrative procedures shall not, and this R esolution does not, create or form the basis of liability on the part of the City or any City department, agency, official, or employee, nor shall they create a private right of action against the City or any City personnel. The administrative procedures shall be implemented through existing administrative policies and procedures governing City operations. The City Manager may establish additional rules or regulations necessary to carry out these administrative procedures.
5. D
efinitions . For purposes of the administrative procedures, the following definitions shall apply:
A. “Civil immigration enforcement” means any investigation, detention, arrest, surveillance, monitoring, questioning, information- gathering, or operational activity undertaken for primary purpose of enforcing federal civil immigration laws, including actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
B. “City property” or “City-owned or City-controlled property” means any real or personal property, land, building, facility, structure, equipment, or space owned, leased, operated, or controlled by the City of Culver City.
C. “Judicial warrant” or “court order” means a warrant or order issued by a federal or state judge or magistrate based on probable cause and legally sufficient to compel compliance by the City.
D. “Surveillance” means observing, recording, monitoring, or collecting information about individuals for civil immigration enforcement purposes, including through cameras, license plate readers, drones, or other technologies.
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Section 2. If any provision of this Resolution or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of this Resolution shall not be affected thereby and shall continue in full force and effect. To this end, provisions of this Resolution are severable. The City Council of the City of Culver City hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase hereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, or phrases be held unconstitutional, invalid, or unenforceable.
APPROVED and ADOPTED this _____ day of __________ 2026.
FREDDY PUZA, Mayor
City of Culver City, California
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
JEREMY BOCCHINO, City Clerk HEATHER S. BAKER, City Attorney