www.montereycountynow.com January 16-22, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 On Monday, Jan. 6, Congress certified Donald Trump’s electoral victory as president. The next day, federal immigration officers conducted raids in Kern County, detaining people at spots popular among farmworkers and day laborers, according to news reports. Rumors of similar raids in Monterey County have circulated since then, but so far they are just that, rumors. Still, the fear is palpable. Immigration lawyers say the phones are ringing relentlessly, and they hear anecdotal reports—a citizen who doesn’t want her partner to leave the house, families afraid of attending a know-your-rights event. To push back, there is a local and statewide effort already underway. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors convened an ad hoc committee, and has so far printed 20,000 red cards (and distributed 13,000) with know-your-rights information if confronted by an immigration official, as staff writer Celia Jiménez has reported. (These constitutional rights will sound familiar to citizens: “You do not have to open the door if an immigration agent is knocking on the door, unless they show a valid warrant.” “You have the right to remain silent.”) On Jan. 14, the board followed up with a $25,000 allocation for public service announcements, and a welcoming resolution. “It is important to make clear that we are one community in Monterey County and that all of our residents, regardless of immigration status, contribute to the social and economic fabric of this county,” it reads. Supervisor Chris Lopez said, “There are two things that push people faster and further than anything else: fear and hope. Now, many people who came here with hope are living with fear.” Sowing fear and chaos is, undoubtedly, part of Trump’s point. And preparedness can go only so far in redressing that fear. Salinas attorney Chris Cain, who is participating in the county’s ad hoc committee, notes that not every immigrant has a path forward—there are opportunities to seek or renew particular types of visas, but every situation is unique. “The worst part is when I get the call, ‘I’ve been here for 19 years, I pay taxes.’ We ask, ‘do you have a child in the military, are you a victim of domestic violence…’ We go through the list of qualifiers, but that’s our list. Sometimes it’s, ‘I’m sorry.’” California Attorney General Rob Bonta visited Salinas on Jan. 10, convening with local leaders in the UFW Hall to share information about his office’s preparations, and to hear concerns from the community. He noted that he is prepared to sue the Trump administration (see story, p. 16) but that not every action related to immigration is something that can be fought, or won, in court. “There are ways that the federal government, staying within its lane, will do things that will be painful for us to see, but will be lawful,” Bonta said. And unlawful policies can upend lives while waiting for court decisions. Larry Oda of Monterey, the national president of the Japanese American Citizens League, knows this well. He worries less about Japanese immigrants now than Latin Americans and Middle Easterners, groups that Trump has targeted, but he sees clear echoes of the past. “We should have learned a lot of things,” Oda says. “But memory is short. We haven’t learned.” Bonta also shared his own immigration story. He was just a 2-month-old baby in the Philippines when his parents decided to leave—they worried about their home country’s antidemocratic path. And they were right. Exactly one year after Bonta was born, martial law was declared. “My mom opposed the dictator,” Bonta said. “You can’t just put your chin on your elbow and look out the window and hope.” Looking out the window is, of course, much easier. But for those of us who enjoy protections, such as citizenship, we must act, and demonstrate we’ve learned from the past. That’s what Bonta’s mother did, participating in what eventually became known as the People Power Revolution, leading to the overthrow in 1986 of dictator Ferdinand Marcos after 20 years, and restoring democracy to the Philippines. “The most powerful power there is is people power,” Bonta said. People power elected Trump as president. Likewise, people power can resist his worst tendencies and protect vulnerable people—but only if we use it. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. History Repeats The second Trump administration is beginning. The fear is already here. By Sara Rubin Bad Penny…Curious to see what Carmel’s future might look like with newly elected Mayor Dale Byrne and two new councilmembers—Bob Delves and Hans Buder—in charge, Squid tuned into the council’s special meeting on Jan. 7, only to be hit with events five years in the past. In the early days of Covid-19 lockdowns, Carmel officials closed Carmel Beach to keep people from congregating. Two people in separate incidents refused to leave, resulting in arrests. The case against Theresa Buccola, a local artist, was eventually dismissed, but since 2022 she’s been on a legal tear, filing lawsuits against the city, with no success. Yet people as outraged as Buccola about the beach order have repeatedly protested to the Carmel City Council about her arrest in council meetings. In December, the public comment period lasted nearly an hour as people railed against outgoing members, former mayor Dave Potter and Bobby Richards for being in leadership at the time. Some protesters returned on Jan. 7 to keep up the harangue. Under the sea we call that spitting into the current, a pointless task that gets one nowhere. But they have a right to free speech, which means Carmelites will have to continue to contend with spit floating in the water. Agree to Disagree…Seems like just a week ago everyone in Squid’s lair and in the halls of power in Monterey County were still basking in the warm feelings of the holidays, all good vibes. How quickly things can turn. Squid oozed over to a Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 7 for swearing in ceremonies, speeches and tacos. Then Squid oozed back for the next meeting on Jan. 14, when they were tasked with making appointments to a variety of boards of committees, where a lot of the nitty gritty work gets done. “I’m sure there are a few that are going to be hot topics,” said Supervisor Chris Lopez, newly installed as chair. By “a few,” he meant one: two supervisors get seats on the powerful Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), and Lopez nominated himself and Supervisor Wendy Root Askew to serve there, with newly elected Kate Daniels as an alternate. Daniels wanted a full-fledged spot on LAFCO, so it got awkward, fast. “This strikes me as a very weird way to start your relationship with your colleagues,” she said. Sure is—she and Askew said they wanted in, with Lopez demoted to alternate status. Luis Alejo supported Lopez’s appointment and the swing vote, Glenn Church, came down in favor of the AskewDaniels appointments. “I can count to three,” Lopez said. Then in a surprise kumbaya moment, they voted 5-0 anyway to approve the slate. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We are one community.” Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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