AGENDA MEMO TO : City Council and Members of the Public FROM: At-Large Councilmember Rowena Brown SUBJECT: Resolution In Support Of AB 1537 (Bryan) DATE: January 22, 2026
RECOMMENDATION ADOPT A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 1537 (BRYAN) WHICH
WOULD
(1)
PROHIBIT
CALIFORNIA
PEACE
OFFICERS
FROM
WORKING
OR
VOLUNTEERING
FOR
ANY
ENTITY
THAT
ENGAGES
IN
IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT,
(2)
ESTABLISH
FAILURE
TO
COMPLY
WITH
THAT
RESTRICTION
AS
GROUNDS
FOR
DECERTIFICATION
AS
A
PEACE
OFFICER,
(3)
REQUIRE
PEACE
OFFICERS
TO
REPORT
ANY
SECONDARY
EMPLOYMENT
RELATED
TO
IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT,
AND
(4)
REQUIRE
THAT
RECORDS
RELATED
TO
SECONDARY
EMPLOYMENT
OF
PEACE
OFFICERS
BE
PUBLIC
RECORDS
LEGISLATION SUMMARY Background On January 22, 2019, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 13515 C.M.S., the Sanctuary City Ordinance, which strengthened the City’s policy of non-cooperation with federal immigration agencies, which was previously established and amended by Resolutions No. 63950, 80584, and 86498 C.M.S., and reaffirmed by Resolution No. 87036 C.M.S. Federal immigration enforcement efforts escalated significantly in 2025 nationally, regionally, and in Oakland, destabilizing the lives of immigrants in our city and negatively impacting their ability
to
access
community
and
social
services.
Existing California state law allows off-duty peace officers to seek secondary employment, independently contract, or volunteer with federal immigration agencies. Peace officers; such as those
in
the
Oakland
Police
Department,
the
Alameda
County
Sheriff's
Office,
and
the
California
Highway
Patrol;
are
entrusted
with
sensitive
information
about
members
of
our
immigrant
community.
Sensitive
personal
information
can
include
identity
and
biographical
information,
contact
and
location
information,
victim
and
witness
information,
criminal
history,
and
traffic
records.
Sensitive personal information that is accessible to peace officers can place Oakland’s immigrants
at
risk
if
intentionally
or
unintentionally
shared
with
federal
immigration
authorities
while
off
duty.
It
is
crucial
for
the
safety
and
wellbeing
of
our
community
that
our
immigrant
community can trust peace officers without fear that their personal information or any information
that
they
share
with
an
officer
will
be
used
for
federal
immigration
enforcement.
Assembly Bill 1537 (Bryan) California Assembly Bill (AB) 1537, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, would prohibit a peace officer from being employed by, or being an independent contractor of or volunteer for, the
United
States
Department
of
Homeland
Security
or
its
contractors
or
any
other
entity
that
assists
with
or
engages
in
immigration
enforcement;
and
it
would
require
a
peace
officer
to
report
to
their
employing
law
enforcement
agency
any
secondary
employment
relating
to
immigration
enforcement.
AB 1537 would provide that failure to comply with the secondary employment restriction constitutes
an
act
of
dishonesty
and
is
grounds
for
decertification
as
a
peace
officer,
and
the
bill
would
also
explicitly
state
that
records
related
to
secondary
employment
of
peace
officers
are
public
records
for
the
purposes
of
the
California
Public
Records
Act.
By ensuring that our peace officers’ ability to explore secondary employment opportunities does not
come
into
conflict
with
our
commitment
to
protecting
our
immigrant
communities,
AB
1537
will
help
Oakland
more
effectively
embody
our
Sanctuary
City
status.
Respectfully submitted,
Rowena Brown City of Oakland, Councilmember At Large