FRESNO, Calif. _ Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau proposed new language Tuesday to go into the county's official platform on federal advocacy _ and the proposal is full of buzzwords often used by President Donald Trump.
The Board of Supervisors initially rejected Brandau's proposal to add terms like "America First" and to include language opposing California's status as a sanctuary state. Brandau failed during the meeting to get any votes in support.
"To me, I see this as political fodder and I don't support that in these chambers," Supervisor Brian Pacheco said while seated at the dais in the Fresno County Hall of Records.
Pacheco noted the "America First" slogan comes from Trump, who is running for re-election.
But the supervisors ultimately decided they'll review his proposal with a committee and see if they can massage the language into something they can agree on.
The Federal Legislative Platform is a document adopted annually by the county as a list of priorities and goals that Fresno County representatives will pursue for its advocacy efforts with federal agencies and Congress.
Brandau proposed adding as priorities:
Support policies that promote and fund robust national border security.
Support and recognize federal jurisdiction over immigration policy as defined by the United States Constitution and oppose "sanctuary state and city" policies that circumvent federal authority.
Support legislation which allows law enforcement to work seamlessly between federal and state agencies.
Support legislation that promotes "America First" policies targeting industrial and manufacturing growth within Fresno County.
Brandau said he wanted to improve communication between local and federal law enforcement. "For me there's a battle going on between the state of California and the federal government," Brandau said. "It should come to a ceasing halt."
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said she would support the proposal as it relates to how deputies work with federal law enforcement.
"That doesn't mean we're not going to obey California state law, because we have to," she said on Tuesday. "It sends the message that we aren't in support of putting rules in place that keep law enforcement agencies from talking to each other in the spirit of public safety."
California has a sanctuary law on the books. Senate Bill 54 from 2017 prohibits local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to detain undocumented immigrants, though certain offenses give local agencies discretion to work with ICE. The sheriff must give a report every year on how many interactions the agency had with ICE.
District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said she also supported the proposals related to law enforcement. She said drugs trafficked across the Mexico-U.S. border have a ripple effect across Fresno County, and contribute to ills like violence and drug addiction.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig said he's interested in coming to a compromise on the proposed new language.
"I'm interested in a couple of those points (proposed) and I think they can be tweaked in a way I can accept it," he said.
