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LA County supervisors approve mask ban to take effect in 30 days, setting up showdown with feds
A line of federal immigration agents wearing masks stands off with protesters near the Glass House Farms facility outside Camarillo on July 10.
(
Larry Valenzuela
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CalMatters/CatchLight Local
)
Topline:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave its final stamp of approval today to an ordinance requiring law enforcement to display visible identification and banning them from wearing face coverings when working in certain jurisdictions in L.A. County.
Where it applies: The ordinance will take effect in unincorporated parts of the county. Those include East Los Angeles, South Whittier and Ladera Heights, where a Home Depot has been a repeated target of immigration raids, according to various reports.
What the supervisors are saying: “What the federal government is doing is causing extreme fear and chaos and anxiety, particularly among our immigrant community,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion, in an interview with LAist before the final vote. “They don't know who's dragging them out of a car. They don't know who's throwing them to the ground at a car wash because they act like secret police.”
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The ordinance mirrors a California law that the Trump administration is already challenging in court -
Gov. Newsom signed laws meant to protect immigrants during President Trump’s extensive deportation program. Some of the measures raise constitutional questions and likely will be challenged.
About the vote: Supervisor Lindsay Horvath was not present for the vote but coauthored the ordinance. Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstained. All other county supervisors voted to approve it.
The back and forth: California passed a similar law, the No Secret Police Act, earlier this year. The Trump administration already is suing the state of California over that law, calling it unconstitutional. For her part, Hahn said that the law is meant to protect residents' constitutional rights, and that legal challenges won’t affect the county’s position “until we're told by a court that it's unconstitutional.”
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The timeline: The new law will go into effect in 30 days.
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