The Brief

A whistleblower is alleging wide-ranging misconduct by Anaheim’s top finance official — including enabling fraud that wastes millions of taxpayers dollars, lying to the city council and protecting a known sexual harasser.

In a tort claim filed in early July, former purchasing agent Kari Bouffard alleges she was wrongfully terminated for “engaging in protected whistleblower activity, reporting sexual assault and harassment, exposing procurement fraud, refusing to participate in unlawful contracting practices and addressing severe deficiencies that resulted in costly delays and exposed the city to continuous and significant risk.”

She alleges that Debbie Moreno, Anaheim’s finance director and city treasurer, “violated the public trust, abused her authority, disregarded City Council policies.”

The tort claim, obtained by LAist via a public records request, alleges that Moreno:

• Refused to audit the city’s credit card purchases, which amount to around $800,000 a month
• Covered up that the Fire & Rescue Department bought new ambulances and went to the Council after to seek approval
• Does not follow standard best practices for procurement — no member of the purchasing department had ever written a contract — and instead creates additional, unnecessary processes 
• Uses a policy from 1999 to lease computer hardware at inflated prices, bypassing Council approval 

All together, the tort claim paints a picture of a city’s procurement department that lacks processes or oversight controls — run totally ad hoc — resulting in the mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. And Bouffard alleges in the tort claim her repeated attempts to address issues were met with retaliation. She wrote that she felt like she was “being punished for simply trying to protect the city and ensure its actions complied with the law.”

LAist requested an interview with Moreno through Anaheim spokesperson Mike Lyster, who did not respond to that request.

As the city's top financial official, Moreno is tasked with administering a $2.4 billion budget. Anaheim, the most populous city in Orange County and home to Disneyland, Angels Stadium and Honda Center, has a history of financial scandals.

Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu at the Orange County Black History Parade, Feb. 5, 2022. Sidhu resigned in May 2022, a week after FBI documents revealed he was under federal investigation for an alleged quid pro quo scheme involving the now-canceled sale of Angel Stadium.

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Three years ago, a federal probe revealed a “cabal” of business and political leaders worked behind the scenes to exert influence over City Hall. Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu just served two months in federal prison for his role in the corruption scandal.

Bouffard’s tort claim comes at a time the city is contending with a $60 million budget shortfall.

LAist reached out to the city about the allegations in the tort claim, as well as discrepancies we found in records obtained via a public records request. LAist also asked the city about its oversight practices.

City spokesperson Lyster told LAist he would not comment on the specific allegations in Bouffard’s tort claim because they are part of an ongoing personnel matter.

“We take all workplace concerns seriously and adhere to high ethical and professional standards. The claims made are being evaluated and are from a former employee whose work with the city did not extend past probation,” Lyster said in a written statement. “But, in this case, the issues being raised are part of a personnel matter, with all the considerations that come with that. We want to be respectful of all involved, and discussion of personnel matters in the media would be inappropriate.”

Lyster did not dispute Bouffard’s claims. Instead, he wrote that the city welcomes a review of contracts and policies. LAist requested purchase orders, agreements, contracts and process documents related to the claims and found discrepancies that seem to back up Bouffard’s claims.

Lyster did not comment on the discrepancies LAist found in the purchase orders, agreements, contracts and processes obtained independent of the tort claim.

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said in a text message that complaints like Bouffard's are taken seriously and investigated.

"If findings are made that can help up improve our processes and procedures, I welcome them," Aitken said.

When did the problems start?

Bouffard, a public servant of 28 years, whose experience includes a long stint at the County of Orange, started at the city of Anaheim in the summer of 2024.

Very soon, she began to notice a lack of processes and little oversight in how the department was run, she told LAist in an interview.

Formal contracts were not written, with neither the city nor vendor agreeing to terms and conditions or scopes of work. That was a “red flag,” she said. Contracts are commonplace in government as they help create a record trail to keep the city — and taxpayers — from being overcharged or billed by unscrupulous contractors.

Bouffard said conversations with other city departments convinced her the purchasing division at the city was in disarray and had been mismanaged for years.

Kari Bouffard, the whistleblower, alleging widespread mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.

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“ I saw all of this, though, as an opportunity to put better systems in place to restore accountability and support both the purchasing team and the departments that we serve,” Bouffard said.

In the tort claim, Bouffard alleges Moreno also created a “hostile work environment” by allowing sexual harassment and retaliation “to continue unchecked.” That section of the tort claim is heavily redacted, with details about the assault, names of employees and details of the investigation blacked out.

Bouffard was terminated in July, two days before her one-year probation period ended.

At her six-month performance review in June 2025 (six months after it was due), she wrote in the tort claim she was “awarded a 'Distinguished' rating and a 2% salary increase in recognition of my contributions” despite “an excessive and unsustainable workload” where she could not even take accrued time off.

Bouffard alleges in her tort claim that she was fired not because of poor performance but because her efforts to improve the procurement department bristled Moreno.

Urgent contract for ambulances already in hand 

A few months after she started at the city in 2024, Bouffard alleges in the tort claim Moreno asked her to draft an “urgent” contract to purchase ambulances for the city’s Fire & Rescue Department.

While working on the contract, Bouffard claims she discovered an email showing the ambulances already were procured and delivered.

Bouffard alleges Moreno prepared a staff report for the City Council that requested Council approval for the purchase.

Bouffard wrote: “Ms. Moreno not only misled me regarding the situation but also knowingly falsified the staff report presented to City Council, intentionally concealing the fire department’s unauthorized procurement and colluding to cover up the procurement violations.”

Bouffard alleges Moreno has a personal relationship with Fire Chief Patrick Russell and has shown favoritism toward his department.

Russell did not respond to a request for comment.

LAist asked the city in a public records request for all executed contracts, invoices, order forms and emails pertaining to the order of ambulances. The contract the city shared with us doesn't give any indication that council approved of the purchase before the fire department went out and bought them.

The contract does not show that the council approved the purchase of ambulances that the city already possessed.

Creating additional work for departments 

Bouffard alleges Moreno relied on “cumbersome” procurement processes while punishing Bouffard for trying to implement changes she said would save the city money.

When Bouffard arrived at the city, she told LAist, if a department needed to purchase goods or services, the purchasing team would ask them exactly how much was needed and then they would move forward with that purchase for the exact amount of what was requested.

This method, she said, is “cumbersome” and leads to higher prices for goods, wasting taxpayer dollars. Instead, she sought to implement bulk pricing and planning for future purchases so the city can negotiate better deals.

A city staff member heads into the Anaheim Council Chamber before an open session meeting at Anaheim City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025.

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These concerns would come to light with a contract for the police department.

When the police department wanted to purchase military equipment, with plans to buy more in the future, Bouffard developed a five-year purchasing agreement with a total amount not to exceed $3.75 million. This was contrary to the usual process used by the city, where purchases are made annually.

In the memo Bouffard drafted to explain her reasoning, she wrote, “Historically, many purchases throughout the city have been made reactively, often in response to urgent needs that arise during the fiscal year. While this method may provide quick relief, it frequently leads to higher costs, unpredictable budgeting and a greater risk of contract ratifications. These challenges highlight the need for a more proactive and structured approach to procurement — one that emphasizes planning, collaboration and long-term stability.”

The memo, which was sent to City Manager Jim Vanderpool, was ultimately stripped of Bouffard’s concerns.

She alleges Moreno and Deputy Finance Director Jean Ibalio excluded her from the rewrite process and dismissed her concerns because they were worried she would raise these process concerns with Vanderpool over “the broader lack of fiscal oversight.”

The city would eventually go without Bouffard’s recommendation for the contract. Instead, in the memo, Moreno wrote the Anaheim Police Department will have to get approval in the future for purchases already approved by the Council.

Ibalio and Vanderpool did not respond to requests to comment.

Circumventing competitive bidding

While Moreno had concerns about a long-term contract for the police department, it appears she promoted the use of a costly 25-year-old policy to purchase computer hardware for city staff.

In April, IT manager Ed Jin told Bouffard to renew a lease of around $4.5 million with Hewlett Packard for computer hardware, using a policy referred to as “1999.” Bouffard was concerned with the high spend for computer hardware and a conversation with the city’s IT admin analyst confirmed the lease was expensive. The per-staff, per-computer cost would amount to $5,000 with the lease. If the city did not renew the lease, the cost would be $1,800 per person.

Jin did not respond to a request for comment about the lease policy.

Other cities spend less on computers. Santa Ana, for example, told LAist the city purchases desktop computers for $850 and laptops for $1,425.

LAist requested the 1999 policy via a public records request. In 1999, the then-City Council approved a motion giving the purchasing agent — who until recently was Bouffard — the authority to issue purchase orders and execute lease agreements for computer equipment.

Bouffard alleges in the tort claim that this “outdated” policy is being used improperly to avoid soliciting competitive bids, pay in excess for hardware, obtain equipment without council approval and abuse evergreen clauses to avoid processes.

At four different occasions in May and June, according to the tort claim, Jin would “warn” Bouffard to use the policy to renew the lease, saying Moreno and Ibalio were upset.

“During each conversation, I communicated to Mr. Jin I am required to adhere to Council policy and follow the advice of our city attorneys. It was apparent Mr. Jin was under pressure to push me into violating Council policy,” Bouffard wrote.

Jin emailed Bouffard an “evergreen” contract, which Bouffard claims was an attempt to prove that an approved contract existed.

That contract was from 2002 with a company called Compaq, an organization that no longer exists and was acquired by HP.

In her tort claim, Bouffard said the evergreen contract originated prior to her employment with the city and had no expiration date. This “violates competitive bidding and circumvents Council approval protocols,” according to the claim.

Bouffard alleges the Anaheim IT team confirmed to her that the city had been leasing equipment through this process for at least a decade.

“ From my understanding, since 2006, the city of Anaheim has spent over $92 million on hardware and computers through the lease through HP Financial Services without seeking counsel approval,” Bouffard told LAist.

LAist asked the city of Anaheim how much it has spent on computer hardware using the 1999 policy, but we have not received an answer.

No oversight for credit card purchases

A big red flag for Bouffard when she came on board as the city’s purchasing agent was the lack of oversight into the city’s credit card spend: around $800,000 of public money every month.

“ When the departments want to get the purchases they need right away, if there were delays in the purchasing department, they would use those credit cards to get that done. That wasn't being audited,” Bouffard told LAist.

In her tort claim, Bouffard alleges she raised the lack of oversight with Moreno on several occasions but her solutions were “insufficient.”

And when Bouffard raised the concerns with the city’s audit team, which then wanted to audit the credit card program, she alleges Moreno told her: “Do not let them in the door.”

“I found her response unprofessional, dismissive and deeply concerning, particularly given her role as finance director and her responsibility to support accountability and internal controls,” Bouffard wrote.

LAist asked the city spokesperson if the credit card purchases have been audited in the past five years. We have not received an answer.

How to keep tabs on the Anaheim City Council

The Anaheim City Council meets on scheduled Tuesdays. The next meeting is Oct. 28. Meetings start at 5 p.m.

Here’s how you can follow along:

• Attend in person: The board meets at City Hall, Council Chambers, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., First floor, Anaheim
• Watch the live broadcast
• Here’s how to submit a comment or contact the council

"3... 2... 1..."

Voices rang out in unison until the near-mile long row of cedar trees along Santa Rosa Avenue burst with color.

The Tree Lane lighting is Altadena’s kickoff to the holidays, a 105-year-old tradition that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

And it is all that on Saturday night.

But after the Eaton Fire, the celebration was more for many who attended. Many things about the lighting was the same: there were speeches by dignitaries, a performance by the high school drumline.

But so much was different. A tree just off the lane was lit in white with 19 green lights honoring every person who died in the fire.

A tree off the Christmas Tree Lane was lit in white with 19 green lights honoring every person who died in the fire.

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And during the ceremony, a minute and 19 seconds of silence was observed, led by the night’s emcee, actor Edward James Olmos.

LAist was at Saturday night's lighting event.

Megan Murdock

Longtime Altadena resident Megan Murdock and her partner Steven Valle.

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Saturday marked longtime Altadena resident Megan Murdock's very first outing.

"I love Christmas Tree Lane, but I've never been to the lighting event," she said. " This felt like the year to show up and represent."

As the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire approaches, Murdock said it's been amazing to see the community rebuild, even though the scars are still raw.
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"Through the rebuilding, there were really hard days, there's going be more really hard days," she said. "But today's a good day."

Seamus Bozeman

Seamus Bozeman and his family lost their home in Altadena.

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Seamus Bozeman will always call Altadena home.

He and his family lost their house in the Eaton Fire. But every chance he gets, Bozeman (a former LAist intern) can be found hanging out in his old haunts.

"I come back and shop at the shops as much as I can, eat from the restaurants here," he said. "I love this place so much."

Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony on Saturday.

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He said the tree lighting ceremony he grew up knowing was a quaint, neighborhood affair.

" With this whole festival and everything because of the fire, I don't know, it's not the same for me," he said.

But change, he knows, is inevitable.

" I'm hoping it's for the better," Bozeman said. "But one thing I do know is that we'll be closer as a community because of this fire."

Patricia Valencia

Patricia Valencia (R) and her friend at the Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony.

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For Patricia Valencia, who lost her home in the fire, Saturday night's event was a reunion.

"I saw my neighbor for the first time since we evacuated," she said. "It was emotional! I gave him a hug, and I was like, I think I'm gonna cry because I haven't seen you since that night that we left."

Greg Demus

Christmas Tree Lane resident Greg Demus.

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Greg Demus lives right on Christmas Tree Lane. For him, the event is an annual ritual.

" I've been coming here all my life," he said.

But after the fire, few things are a given.

" I wasn't quite sure what to expect," Demus said if this year's ceremony. "But it's good to see so many people come back to try to celebrate Altadena and keep Altadena strong."

Howard and Linella Raff

Howard Raff and his wife Linella at Saturday's Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony.

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Howard Raff and his wife Linella are renting outside of Altadena as their home is remediated.

"Coming back, you just want it to be what it was, and you don't know what it's going to be like. So having this was kind of an anchor of something that you knew was going to be there," Linella said.

Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui

Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui holds up a photocopy of the house in Altadena she lived in for three years, at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and East Mariposa Street where she is standing.

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Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui and her husband arrived at Christmas Tree Lane on Saturday in the early afternoon.

As soon as they were able to enter the area, the two set up their chairs at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street.

The intersection of Mariposa Street and Santa Rosa Avenue at Christmas Tree Lane

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The lot on that corner now sits razed and empty. But before the fire, it was the house where de Jauregui had lived for three years after college. A place where she built lifelong friendships with her roommates.

"It was such great memories and a great camaraderie," she said.

Altadena, she remembered, was vibrant and free-spirited.

 "It was a really close-knit community," she said. "When you go further down Fair Oaks, you could go to the movies and dinner. You get together with friends in their historical homes and we'd all sit around and play music."

Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui brought with her a photocopy of the Altadena house she stayed at.

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She returned to Christmas Tree Lane on Saturday to honor those formative years — and brought along images and drawings of the house that burned down.

"It was almost like claiming a bit of my own personal history back," she said.

The FIFA World Cup is just a few months away, and some national soccer teams, like Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan are competing for the first time. Their fans — and those of the other 45 countries — will probably look for something familiar when they land in L.A.

• Read: Your essential guide to the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles

Whether it’s a fast food logo or a restaurant serving regional dishes from home, that sense of familiarity can be the first stepping stone before you start discovering the delights of where you are now.

When I arrived in Los Angeles from England, I was soon directed to Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica. Judging by the dozens of photographs on the wall, it has been a kind of entry checkpoint for newly arrived British Isles celebrities and regulars alike since the 1970s. They do afternoon tea, of course, plus their bar will open early to show UK soccer matches. Their store has snacks and candy for the homesick.

It was, of course, reassuring for me to hear familiar accents and recognize the beers on tap and even some of the crisps — sorry, chips — behind the bar. Asking whether any “football” matches were going to be shown didn’t raise any eyebrows either, even though that could mean having to arrive soon after sunrise because of the time difference in the UK.

British comfort food at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica.

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Even if I had been living locally, I don’t think it would have become my “local” (as it were) because I thought it was important to try to get to know my new home, rather than hold on too tight to what I had just left behind.

That said, I did occasionally return to watch football matches and even for a couple of New Year’s Eves, which happen here at 4 p.m. to coincide with midnight in England. Then I could call home and hear the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” while we in the pub were singing it at the same time.

Here's a select list of pubs where you can sample the drinks, eats and even watch the sports from several European countries.

Ireland

• The Auld Fella (Culver City & Brentwood)
  9375 Culver Blvd., Culver City

Auld Fella in Culver City

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Owned by an actual Irishman, Kevin Kearns from Inishowen, they pour an excellent Guinness (don’t ask any Irish person about the importance of that, nor how hard it is to find that in L.A.) and have a good selection of savory pies. Kevin’s also an actor and appeared in blockbuster Battleship.

• Tom Bergin’s (Mid-Town/Fairfax)
  840 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles

Tom Bergin's in the Fairfax District.

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An L.A. staple since 1936, it’s the center of celebrations on St. Patrick’s Day. Stapled to the ceiling and walls around the horseshoe bar are shamrocks with the names of past patrons: try to find Cary Grant, Kiefer Sutherland, Ronald Reagan and Bing Crosby. A short menu, but you can get shepherd’s pie (steak, carrots, celery, caramelized onions, under mashed potatoes), and it’s said to have invented Irish coffee. Choose that or a good Guinness.

• Molly Malone’s (Mid-Town/Fairfax)
  575 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles
  

Molly Malone's in the Fairfax District.

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Owned by Irish family the Hanlons since 1969, Molly’s was damaged by a fire last year but bounced right back with its dark interior and original mission as a place where Irish troubadours and traditional musicians could get together. It’s long been a respected music venue and occasionally gets some bigger names on stage. You’ll get a good pour here, too, though the menu is just a few items long.

Scotland

• The Tam O’Shanter (Los Feliz)
  2980 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles
  

The Tam O'Shanter in Los Feliz.

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The Tam O'Shanter's main dining room.

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Named after a bonnet worn by Scotsmen, the “Tam” looks like a castle crossed with a witch’s house, in part because the original fairytale European look wasn’t a hit for owners Van de Kamp bakeries when they opened in 1922, so they pivoted to kilts, flags and bagpipes. Actors came in from the nearby studios, and famously, Walt Disney and his companions were regulars. A steakhouse, it also offers Scottish rarebit (cheddar, Scottish ale, cayenne pepper on sourdough) and, as you see when you enter, a large selection of scotch whiskeys. It even has resident ghosts!

Germany

• Wirsthaus Restaurant & Beer Garden (Mid-City/Hancock Park)
  345 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles
  

Wirstshaus in Hancock Park.

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Interior of Wirsthaus.

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Head to Wirsthaus to experience the best of Bavaria with steins of German beers, giant pretzels, schnitzel (boneless, thin slices of meat that are pounded, breaded and pan-fried until golden and crispy), bratwurst (sausages), plenty of oompah music and staff dressed in traditional dirndls and lederhosen — the Hollywood movie go-to for scenes of beer debauchery.

• Red Lion Tavern (Silver Lake)
  2366 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles
  

  

  Red Lion in Los Feliz.

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Originally an “Olde English” pub opened by the then-owners of Cole’s in downtown, it always had some German beers on draft, and in 1963, new owners fully embraced that. The German wife of one of them reportedly taught her home recipes to the chef, and it was German-owned until 2004, when Aidas Mattis and family, longtime patrons, took over. They kept up the style at this small, maze-like local favorite: flags, German signs, memorabilia and the back-patio beer garden. Schnitzel, spaetzle (doughy noodles), goulash and bratwurst are on the menu, as well as many beers and ciders. Oktoberfest runs Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22. Try a four-liter boot of beer.

England

• The Cat & Fiddle (West Hollywood)
  742 Highland Ave., West Hollywood
  

  

  The Cat & Fiddle in West Hollywood.

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Located on Sunset Boulevard for several decades, “The Cat” has long been an expat hangout, especially for musicians. Now on Highland Avenue, the Gardner children carry on offering a friendly face and a familiar meal to all visitors. Their Sunday roasts are a real taste of home, and they have other classic British dishes like shepherd’s pie, a ploughman’s lunch (Gloucester, brie, scotch egg, grapes, cornichons, Branston pickle and baguette), Scotch egg and sticky toffee pudding. Want to know what those last two are? Go visit!

• The Canaby (in the works)

Soon, ex-pats will be able to try Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby, a recently announced 175-seat British gastropub that will open at Downtown Disney and bring 1960s London to Anaheim. Live bands will play music from that fab era, and dishes will include beef Wellington, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding. No word yet on an opening date.

The Trump administration has removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from next year's calendar of entrance fee-free days for national parks and added President Trump's birthday to the list, according to the National Park Service, as the administration continues to push back against a reckoning of the country's racist history on federal lands.

In addition to Trump's birthday — which coincides with Flag Day (June 14) — the updated calendar of fee-free dates includes the 110th anniversary of the NPS (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17) and President Teddy Roosevelt's birthday (October 27). The changes will take effect starting January 1.

Non-U.S. residents will still be required to pay entrance fees on those dates under the new "America-first pricing" policy. At 11 of some of the country's most popular national parks, international visitors will be charged an extra $100, on top of the standard entrance fee, and the annual pass for non-residents will go up to $250. The annual pass for residents will be $80.

The move follows a July executive order from the White House that called to increase fees applied to non-American visitors to national parks and grant citizens and residents "preferential treatment with respect to any remaining recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules."

The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, called the new fee-exempted dates "patriotic fee-free days," in an announcement that lauded the changes as "Trump's commitment to making national parks more accessible, more affordable and more efficient for the American people."

The Interior Department did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement: "These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations."

The new calendar follows the Trump administration's previous moves to reshape U.S. history by asking patrons of national parks to flag any signs at sites deemed to cast a negative light on past or living Americans.
Copyright 2025 NPR

If you found out your neighbor had a past criminal conviction, your knee-jerk reaction might be that you’d want them relocated.

But what if that person committed a burglary in their late teens, served years in state prison, turned their life around, and now mentors at-risk youth?

Do the details matter? Researchers found that they do.

A new poll by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research examines California voters’ attitudes toward due process for immigrants with criminal convictions during the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on unauthorized immigration. The survey also examined support for how tax dollars are spent and Californians’ views on the state’s sanctuary policies.

It found bipartisan support for ensuring that immigrants facing deportation receive due process, including ones with criminal records.

“This survey shows that there’s clear concern about the current administration’s approach to immigration enforcement,” said Sara Knight, a research director at Goodwin Simon Strategic Research. “I’m not surprised by the results, but I am heartened to see how strong the support for due process is and the growing frustration with treating people inhumanely in our immigration system.”

President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of mass deportations that targeted criminals, among other things, and he has made good on that. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested more than 160,608 noncitizens nationwide with criminal convictions or pending charges, since his inauguration.

The Trump administration has sought to expand the use of “expedited removal,” which allows immigration officers to remove certain non-citizens, like those convicted of crimes, from the United States without a hearing before an immigration judge.

Researchers say this latest poll by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, released to CalMatters this week, also reflects waning support, even among a small majority of Republicans for the harshest immigration enforcement practices. It showed 84% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and 54% of Republicans agreed that “even if someone does have a record, they deserve due process and the chance to have their case heard by a judge before being deported.”

The poll was commissioned by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, both pro-immigrant organizations. Goodwin Simon Strategic Research describes itself on its website as an “independent opinion research firm.” Researchers wrote the survey questions and polled more than 1,200 self-identified voters. Knight said the partisan divide among those polled mirrored the party-affiliation split in the electorate. The margin of error was 3 points.

Some other recent polls echo similar conclusions released in recent weeks, including one released last week by UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab that found one-third of Latino voters who supported Trump now regret their choice. Another public opinion poll by the nonpartisan research firm Public Policy Institute of California found 71% of Californians surveyed said they disapproved of the job ICE is doing. And, a CNN exit poll after the Proposition 50 redistricting election on Nov. 4 found that about three-quarters of California voters said they’re dissatisfied with or angry about the way things are going in the U.S., and 6 in 10 said the Trump administration’s actions on immigration enforcement have gone too far.

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, pointed to other recent national polls to argue the public supports Trump’s immigration policies.

“President Trump and (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem are delivering on the American people’s mandate to deport illegal aliens, and the latest polls show that support for the America First agenda has not wavered — including a New York Times poll that nearly 8 in 10 Americans support deporting illegal aliens with criminal records,” McLaughlin said in a written statement.

“The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after Biden’s open border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” she continued.

From prison to ICE

In the more recent Goodwin Simon Strategic Research poll, 61% of voters surveyed said they want California’s prison system to stop directly handing immigrants over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

The state’s sanctuary law does not apply to immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes. State prisons have transferred to ICE more than 9,500 people with criminal records since Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, according to data released to CalMatters. So far in 2025, ICE has picked up 1,217 inmates directly from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the data shows.

The corrections department also provides ICE with information that helps the agency locate, arrest, and deport people who are not directly transferred. CalMatters obtained and reviewed more than 27,000 pages of emails between state prison employees and ICE. The emails show prison employees regularly communicate with ICE about individuals in state custody, including U.S. citizens. They often share personal details about their families, visitors, and phone calls. Often, these family members have no criminal records and are U.S. citizens

Newsom, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, and Speaker Robert Rivas have all denounced ICE’s broader deportation efforts. But all three have also indicated some level of support for having federal immigration officials remove noncitizens with prior convictions for violent crimes from the community.

The governor has stated he would veto legislation that seeks to restrict the state prison system’s ability to coordinate with federal immigration authorities for the deportation of felons.

‘We may be deporting the wrong people’

Goodwin Simon researchers found that voters’ opinions change when they find out more details about the personal circumstances of a noncitizen with a past criminal conviction, even for violent crime. Pollsters gave two narratives to voters.

One was about a man who was brought to the United States from Mexico as a child. He got into a fight in his early 20s that left someone injured. The man was sentenced to seven years in state prison, where he turned his life around by taking college classes and helping other inmates get their high school diplomas. When he got out of prison, he was deported to Mexico before an immigration judge could decide on his case.

The other narrative was about a person closely connected to a man whose family fled genocide in Cambodia when he was a baby. In the U.S., the man was the lookout for a robbery when he was a teenager and served 30 years in state prison. Upon his release, prison officials turned him over to ICE.

“We may be deporting the wrong people. Although this last person did commit a crime, he has served his time and is now a valuable member of society, so it would be hard to say for sure if a person ever committed a crime deserves to be sent back. That is why the due process is important,” one Republican voter from Sacramento responded to the poll. She shifted her opinion from the view that people with past criminal convictions should be automatically deported to favoring a judge reviewing each individual case after hearing the narratives.

After voters reviewed both pro- and anti-messaging and the two stories, support for having an immigration judge review individual cases before deportation increased from 84% to 90% among Democrats; from 61% to 74% among independents, but it dropped from 54% to 51% among Republicans. Central Coast voters and Republican women voters increased support for due process by 9 points after hearing the stories.