The ACLU filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the city of Los Alamitos, California after the city’s official adoption of an ordinance "exempting" itself from the California Values Act.
The city’s vote on Monday exempts Los Alamitos from SB-54, which limits police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
It was the second vote by the City Council on the subject. In March, the city approved an ordinance to preliminarily "opt out" of the California "sanctuary state" law. The latest vote makes the move permanent.
The ACLU lawsuit asks that the court declare the Los Alamitos ordinance to be unlawful and order the city to comply with the California Values Act. It also asks for costs and legal fees to be paid by the city.
"The City Council cannot appoint itself judge and jury and decide which state laws it will and will not follow," said Sameer Ahmed, staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. "That is clearly unlawful."
Hmm, it almost sounds like the ACLU is claiming that cities are violating the supremacy of state law.
I’ve heard a similar argument from US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in the suit against California's state sanctuary law.
In this action, the United States seeks a declaration invalidating and preliminarily and permanently enjoining the enforcement of certain provisions of California law. These provisions are preempted by federal law and impermissibly discriminate against the United States, and therefore violate the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.
It seems more communities are rising up against the sanctuary state policy of California. Recently, San Diego announced they are signing on in support of the Trump Administration lawsuit.
Some sections of the Golden State are showing gleaming nuggets of rational thought.