RESOLUTION NO. 2025-02
A RESOLUTION OF THE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA DENOUNCING TACTICS USED TO INTIMIDATE POMONA RESIDENTS WHO ARE IMMIGRANTS, PEOPLE OF COLOR, MUSLIMS, LGBTQ PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES; AND REAFFIRMING THE CITY’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND TO SAFEGUARDING THE CIVIL RIGHTS, SAFETY AND DIGNITY OF ALL OUR RESIDENTS WHEREAS, since the presidential election, there has been a sense of uncertainty and fear among many communities in Pomona, across our State and across the Nation; and, WHEREAS, the City of Pomona assures its vulnerable communities that the City supports them, will do all it can to maintain and improve their quality of life, and will not tolerate acts of hate, discrimination, bullying, or harassment; and, WHEREAS, the Pomona City Council wishes to declare that Pomona is a safe place for immigrants from all countries, people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities; and, WHEREAS, mayors and police chiefs in more than ten major cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., reaffirmed their commitment to upholding their sanctuary policies even should they face federal threats; and, WHEREAS, Pomona has a large immigrant population that contributes to the social fabric and economic growth of the City and the State of California; and WHEREAS, it is the City Council's desire to ensure that its immigrant residents participate in civic life and daily activities without fear of being arrested or reported to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency; and, WHEREAS, the City of Pomona has a strong tradition and mission of embracing and valuing diversity and respecting the civil and human rights of all residents regardless of their immigration status, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability; and WHEREAS, the City of Pomona is made up of diverse individuals, both native born and immigrants, whose collective cultures, religions, backgrounds, orientations, abilities and viewpoints join to form a highly pluralistic community which prides itself on being a place which welcomes persons and families of all walks of life; and, WHEREAS, many children who are native to the United States or are undocumented immigrants have been separated from their families by United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency due to their parents' or their personal immigration status; and, WHEREAS, the City Council supports the Pomona Unified School District whose administrators, teachers, and students are united in ensuring that [their] campuses are safe and that [their] respective communities express a shared value for diversity of thought, culture, faith, gender, and race; and, WHEREAS, the City Council supports college and university presidents, including the presidents of Pomona College, Scripps College, Pitzer College, USC, the University of La Verne, and at least three hundred others across the country who have speaken out against harassment, hate and acts of violence, who in some cases have designated their campuses as sanctuaries, and who are calling for the continuation of the government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy; and, WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the State of California, regardless of what the national government does, should protect and assist students who are hardworking, came to the State as children of undocumented immigrants and have graduated or are working toward graduation from high school—doing so, and insuring that these students become contributing college educated members of society, is in the State's and in the Nation’s interest; and, WHEREAS, the enforcement of civil immigration laws by local police agencies raises many complex legal, logistical and resource issues for the City, including undermining the trust and cooperation with immigrant communities, increasing the risk of civil liability due to the complexity of civil immigration laws and the lack of training and expertise of local police on civil immigration enforcement and detracting from the core mission of the Pomona Police Department to create safe communities; and, WHEREAS, the City Council is greatly concerned about public safety in Pomona and the mission of the Pomona Police Department is to protect the safety of the public against crimes committed by persons whoever they may be; and, WHEREAS, most residents in the City, including the vast majority of immigrants, are law-abiding citizens and are, when crimes occur, themselves the victims of crime, and because the City wishes to foster trust and cooperation as between the City, its police department, and its immigrant communities, and wishes to encourage immigrants to report crime and speak to the police without fear of being arrested or reported to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency; and, WHEREAS, consistent with the law and with Council policy, the Pomona Police Department does not enforce federal civil immigration laws, does not conduct immigration raids, and does not question, detain or arrest individuals solely on the basis that they might be in this country illegally in violation of Federal civil immigration laws; and, WHEREAS, the Pomona City Council wishes to reaffirm its ongoing commitment to diversity and its embracing of people from all walks of life.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Pomona as follows:
SECTION 1. That the Pomona City Council calls upon all City residents and all City Departments and employees to speak out against acts of bullying, discrimination and hate violence and to stand up for those who are targeted for such acts.
SECTION 2. That the Pomona City Council opposes immigration raids and calls upon the federal government to continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, and to impose a moratorium on immigration raids in order to protect the civil rights of immigrant communities until such time as the U.S. Congress implements immigration initiatives that are fair and humane and that recognize the economic and cultural contributions of immigrants.
SECTION 3. That in accordance with State and Federal laws, City employees, including members of the Pomona Police Department shall not enforce Federal civil immigration laws and shall not use city monies, resources or personnel to investigate, question, detect or apprehend persons whose only violation is or may be a civil violation of immigration law.
SECTION 4. That the Pomona City Council hereby reaffirms its ongoing commitment to diversity, safety and facilitating harmonious living of all community members.
SECTION 4. The City Clerk shall attest and certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution and it shall become effective immediately upon its approval.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 6th DAY OF JANUARY 2025.
ATTEST: CITY OF POMONA:
________________________________ ___________________________________ Rosalia Butler, City Clerk Tim Sandoval, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________________
Sonia Carvalho, City Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
CITY OF POMONA
I, ROSALIA BUTLER, CITY CLERK of the City of Pomona do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Pomona held on the 6th day of January 2025 by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:
________________________________
Rosalia Butler, City Clerk
Resolution No. 2025-02