Huntington Beach, California is the first city to win a judgement against the state of California’s sanctuary state law. But, they are not the only city affected by the ruling. 121 other charter cities are now also exempt from the law.
The state had asked for a delay while the federal courts decided the case, but Orange County Superior Court Judge James Crandall, who fast-tracked the lawsuit in July, ruled that charter cities are governed by a different set of rules and would not be affected by the federal cases. Shortly after the state passed the law, cities from mostly Orange and San Diego counties filed lawsuits against the state.
In March, Attorney General Jeff Sessions traveled to Sacramento, California, to challengeSB 54 and two other “sanctuary state” laws: the Inspection and Review of Facilities Housing-Federal Detainees law (AB 103) and the Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB 450).
That inspired over a dozen cities, predominantly in Orange County and San Diego County, to pass resolutions against the sanctuary state laws and support the federal lawsuit. Huntington Beach went a step further, and its city council voted in April to sue the state on its own.
In July, a federal district court blocked enforcement of AB 450, but upheld the enforcement of SB 54 and AB 103. Orange County Superior Court Judge James Crandall fast-tracked the city’s lawsuit in July after denying the state’s request for a delay pending the federal decision, ruling that the city’s lawsuit was based on different legal grounds.
The people of California are just beginning to rebel against the Democratic machine and it shows in the polls. The Democratic takeover of the House was predicated by the Democrats winning 6 or 7 of the Republican-held seats that were considered at risk. The polls now indicate, they will only get one. Make no mistake, there is still a long way to go, but the journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step.