The Brief

Despite vows from authorities in Los Angeles to not cooperate with ramped up ICE operations under the Trump Administration, cooperation in Orange County continues at a brisk clip, according to a report released this week.

In 2024, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department screened 633 people and transferred 226 of them to ICE custody. Of those, 186 were arrested, according to a new report to the Board of Supervisors. The trend is similar to 2023, when 221 people were arrested by ICE agents after a lull of just 17 people in 2022.

O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes reiterated at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday that cooperation with ICE “ is critical to the safety of our community.”

But Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento pushed back.

 ”What I'm lacking is data that shows that these transfers actually result in a reduction of crime. And if, if they do, let's figure it out. Let's understand what the data shows,” he said. “But I have yet to hear in the two years that I've been at this board that it shows that crime is being decreased.”

And now, with President Donald Trump pushing to expand immigration enforcement operations, advocates and policy experts fear the numbers could rise in Orange County, and with them, far-reaching consequences.

For example, Mai Do, research and policy manager at the nonprofit Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice, said the detentions have a detrimental effect on the county’s economy.

A new report by the institute found that the ICE transfers in 2024 resulted in about $2.3 million in lost labor income in Orange County.

Do added that the county also stands to lose out on more than $3.7 million in economic activity and over $240,000 in taxes.

According to the report, there are about 16,000 pending immigration cases in Orange County. If all of those people were detained, the collective loss of income would be around $161 million.

“ Orange County communities already lose out on so much in lost labor income and economic activity in state and local taxes when residents and community members are transferred to ICE custody and when immigration enforcement threatens and disrupts our communities,” Do said. “The president's mass deportation agenda threatens to amplify these already devastating effects, and so it's really important that Orange County leaders take a stand and not allow local agencies to be a cog in the president's mass deportation machine.”

Faby Jacome, executive director of the nonprofit Orange County Justice Fund, said they’re seeing an increase in targeted detention — outside homes, on the way to work, at ICE check-ins. This week, federal immigration authorities confirmed to the O.C. Register that an immigrant couple who had lived in Laguna Niguel for 35 years was deported after they were detained at a routine check-in.

But Jacome said that while targeted detentions have risen, they’re not “ to the extent that the current administration wants them to be,” noting that budget cuts by the Trump administration have also resulted in a lack of resources for undocumented migrants. A self-help desk at the Santa Ana courthouse, for example, was closed because of the budget cuts.

How we got here

In 2017, the California Values Act — commonly known as SB 54 — authorized law enforcement agencies in the state to notify immigration agents if a person has been convicted of a felony or a higher level misdemeanor like grand theft, larceny, assault with a deadly weapon or drug sales and possession. When they’re about to be released, those under an ICE detainer request are then handed over to federal agents.

Neither the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department nor the LAPD comply with the ICE detainer requests. But Orange County does, with Sheriff Don Barnes writing in a letter to supervisors earlier this month that undocumented immigrants pose a “significant risk.”

“Recognizing this threat, coupled with my responsibility to protect our constituents, I continue to exercise my authority under California state law to communicate with federal law enforcement officials to the fullest extent concerning the release of criminal offenders from my department’s custody facilities,” he wrote.

Working with ICE, Barnes added, has helped the Sheriff’s Department “prevent serious and repeat offenders from returning to the communities they have preyed upon and victimized.”

Barnes was writing to the supervisors to outline his department’s role as the board passed a resolution affirming the rights of U.S.-born children, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

Barnes added that the department does not enforce federal immigration law or assist ICE’s operations in Orange County beyond complying with detainer requests

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Nov. 25.

With the holiday season underway, organizations across Boyle Heights and East LA are seeking volunteers to help distribute food, assemble bicycles, sort toys and sponsor families in need.

If you’re looking to donate, volunteer or find ways to give back, we’ve rounded up a list to help you get started.

Build bicycles and organize donations at a toy giveaway

The Weingart East LA YMCA is hosting its 19th Annual Toy Giveaway on Dec. 18, and volunteers are needed to help prepare toys and provide support. Before the event, volunteers can help by assembling bicycles and sorting and organizing toys on Dec. 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are also needed to assist on event day from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Volunteer at local food distributions

The Weingart East LA YMCA hosts a food distribution every Monday and Wednesday to ensure families have access to nutritious meals. Volunteers are needed for each food distribution from 8:45 a.m. to noon.

Drop off toys at First Street businesses

LAFC’s Expo Originals supporters group is collecting new, unwrapped toys and Venmo donations ahead of its annual community toy drive Dec. 14. Venmo contributions will go toward toy purchases, and the last day to donate is Dec. 6. Toys can be dropped off in person at the locations below until Dec. 13.

Donate a new jacket at a homeless shelter

Proyecto Pastoral is collecting new jackets to keep its participants at the Guadalupe Homeless Shelter warm.

Sponsor a family, child or classroom ahead of the holidays

Proyecto Pastoral has many opportunities for the community to give back during its Holiday Drive this year. Those interested in fulfilling holiday wishes for a family, child or classroom have until Dec. 1 to register. Proyecto Pastoral will pair sponsors with community members in need to fulfill items from their wish list.

Individual toys also can be dropped off at Proyecto Pastoral’s office. The toys will be distributed to children who participate in Proyecto Pastoral’s youth programs at their end-of-year celebrations.

Greystar, which manages hundreds of properties in California, has agreed to pay $7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company and other landlords used a price scheme to raise rents artificially high.

In January, Greystar was named as a defendant in an antitrust lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the U.S. Department of Justice and several other states against software company RealPage, which officials say uses algorithmic models to recommend price increases to subscribers.

Bonta alleges Greystar used RealPage’s system to coordinate rental prices with other landlords by illegally sharing and gathering confidential information. According to his office, RealPage’s “price alignment scheme” affected rentals across the country, especially in multifamily buildings in Southern California, including in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Bernardino.

"Whether it's through smoke-filled backroom deals or through an algorithm on your computer screen, colluding to drive up prices is illegal,” Bonta said in a statement. “Companies that intentionally fuel this unaffordability by raising prices to line their own pockets can be sure I will use the full force of my office to hold them accountable.”

Details on the settlement

Greystar is the largest landlord in the U.S., according to the Department of Justice, managing nearly 950,000 rental units across the country. In California, the company manages about 333 multifamily rental properties that use RealPage’s pricing software, according to Bonta’s office.

Bonta announced last week that as part of the settlement, Greystar has agreed to stop using software that uses competitively sensitive information to set rent prices, including from RealPage.

The company also has agreed to cooperate in the federal prosecution of RealPage and the other landlords named as defendants, such as Camden and Willow Bridge.

Greystar said in a statement to LAist that it’s “pleased this matter is resolved” and the company “remain[s] focused on serving our residents and clients.”

Settlement with RealPage

The U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a proposed settlement with RealPage on Monday to resolve its claims against the company.

If the settlement is approved by the court, RealPage would be required to stop using competitors’ private, sensitive information to set rental prices and remove or redesign features in its software that limited price drops or aligned prices between competitors, according to the Justice Department.

RealPage also would be required to cooperate in the lawsuit against property management companies that have used its software and agree to a court-appointed monitor to make sure it complies with the proposed settlement.

Dirk Wakeham, president and CEO of RealPage, said in a statement Monday that the proposed resolution marks an important milestone for the company and its customers.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with the DOJ, which brings the clarity and stability we have long sought and allows us to move forward with a continued focus on innovation and the shared goal of better outcomes for both housing providers and renters,” Wakeham said.

RealPage denies any wrongdoing, attorney Stephen Weissman said in a statement.

Newport Beach voters will decide if they want to replace a state-approved housing plan with one that allows for far fewer new homes in 2026.

Proponents of the plan, called the Responsible Housing Initiative, say the current plan will make the city overcrowded and negatively affect quality of life.

“This isn’t downtown Los Angeles,” said Charles Klobe, president of Still Protecting Our Newport, which backs the Responsible Housing Initiative.

Last week, city leaders voted to put the initiative in front of voters after the Newport Beach Stewardship Association submitted the Responsible Housing Initiative petition with more than 8,000 signatures. The initiative rejects the city’s current housing plan and instead proposes an amendment to the general plan to facilitate the development of 2,900 homes exclusively for extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income households.

The city’s current housing plan, which has the backing of the state, allows for more than 8,000 homes, including the required affordable housing units.

“ We're against the city building more market rate than the state required. We believe it's a giveaway to developers who will fund re-election campaigns of the council,” Klobe said.

What does California law require?

California’s Housing Element Law sets housing targets for local governments to meet, including for affordable units. It allows the state to intervene every eight years to let cities know how much housing they must plan for. The law also requires cities to put together a housing element showcasing how they will achieve the state’s plan. The state then approves of the element or sends it back to cities to reconfigure according to the requirements.

According to California law, Newport Beach needs to build 4,845 new units — 3,436 of which must be affordable for very low-, low- and moderate-income households. According to the city, Newport Beach can’t just plan for affordable housing units “because that would assume all future projects would be 100% affordable, which is not realistic based on previous development experiences.” And so, the city’s rezone plans include more than 8,000 units.

Councilmember Robyn Grant said during the council meeting that she’s not in favor of the state mandate. But, she added, “After extensive legal analysis and public outreach and workshops and hearings and meetings and more meetings, this council approved an updated general plan to bring Newport Beach into compliance and avoid serious penalties, including the loss of local land use control."

Newport Beach did appeal the state’s housing mandates on the grounds that it did not take into account how some of the city’s coastal lands are protected from urban development, but the appeal was rejected.

To learn more about how Newport Beach arrived at its state-approved housing plan, click here.

What is the Responsible Housing Initiative proposing?

The Responsible Housing Initiative counts the number of housing units already in development and proposes an additional 2,900 affordable housing units to meet the state mandate.

Klobe said they believe the initiative will receive state backing because “they claim to want affordable housing and our initiative requires it.”

Supporters of the measure contend the city’s current plan will increase the population, result in excessive traffic and disrupt the quality of life. They also sued Newport Beach for not first going to voters, but they failed in court.

To learn more about the Responsible Housing Initiative, click here.

What’s next

Voters will have a chance to weigh in on the Responsible Housing Initiative in November 2026.