After two meetings, hours of testimony and emotional pleas for support, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors this week rejected calls to provide attorneys and funds for immigration legal services.
The proposals to invest in legal assistance for local residents drew big crowds to the board’s Ventura chambers on Aug. 12 and – after the initial meeting was continued – Aug. 26. Hundreds spoke to supervisors or submitted comments. Most urged support.
But the board, citing financial and other concerns, rejected nearly all the actions that Supervisor Vianey Lopez brought forward in response to widespread immigration raids. Lopez, who immigrated to the U.S., moving to Oxnard at 4, said the county relies heavily on an immigrant and undocumented workforce.
“At what point do we stand up for what is right?” Lopez asked before the board voted.
Locally, hundreds have been detained since January, including during a July raid at Glass House Farms, a cannabis farm near Camarillo. Legal representation can be a barrier for those detained and their families, local nonprofit groups have said. But some cannot find an attorney or afford what can be costly representation, despite what could be valid avenues to stay in the country.
Supervisor Vianey Lopez shares her experience of coming from Mexico at the age of 4, as Supervisor Kelly Long listens, at the Ventura County Board of Supervisors Aug. 12 meeting.
Before voting, supervisors listed concerns, including steep cuts facing the county’s budget and other needs. Supervisor Matt LaVere, however, called $250,000 for a legal aid fund, one that would be set up by the Ventura County Community Foundation, a small ask. He would support the contribution, he said.
“We have to be honest about the storm clouds kind of hovering over our budget,” LaVere said at this week’s meeting. “But at the same time, I think we all recognize what is happening right now to many in our community.”
He called the current immigration system complex, expensive to navigate and broken in many ways. Without legal guidance, people have no chance, he said.
“I don’t view this as fighting the federal government. I don’t view this as standing up against the administration,” he said. “I really view this as helping people know their rights and helping people stay in this workforce, which we so desperately depend on.”
What proposals did county supervisors consider?
Lopez had proposed a series of actions. She also asked the board to agree to waive her salary increase over the next two years to help pay for the fund. The list of proposals included:
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Setting up an immigration legal assistance fund and approving $250,000 for the fund.
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Establishing an immigrant defense unit in the county Public Defender’s Office, which would include seven positions for a fixed term. The estimated annual cost would total nearly $1.3 million.
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Directing the County Executive Office to work with county counsel to prepare policies and train staff regarding access and use of county facilities by federal officers engaging in immigration enforcement.
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Adding immigration-related issues to the county’s state and federal legislative agenda and platform.
On Aug. 26, the board voted unanimously to support additions to its state and federal legislative agenda after changing some of the wording, and 4-1 to direct staff to finalize policies and training. Supervisor Janice Parvin opposed the latter motion.
Other proposals, including one to support an immigration unit failed to get to a vote. Supervisors also narrowly defeated Lopez’s motion to contribute to a legal aid fund, which would have been set up at the community foundation. The board voted 3-2 in favor, but the item needed four “yes” votes to pass.
Parvin and Supervisor Jeff Gorell voted no. Gorell, who talked about budget challenges, said that if the community foundation created such a fund, he would personally donate but would have difficulty voting for taxpayer dollars to be spent.
Foundation CEO offers to match county funds
LaVere said the contribution likely would have a multiplying effect economically and other local jurisdictions, philanthropic donors and foundations likely would also support such a fund. He said the board needed to consider the economic impact of not doing something.
Vanessa Bechtel, the community foundation’s president and CEO, called the situation a crisis locally, one that some may not recognize in their normal, day-to-day routines. People may not see the separated families or empty neighborhoods where people are too afraid to leave home, she said.
Partnering with local government could provide a signal to people that the county is in a crisis and people really need help, she said. She offered to try to first raise $250,000 to match the county’s proposed contribution.
The foundation and a coalition of partners launched the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund in late July to support families and small businesses. The fund focuses on helping with food, shelter and other basic needs, but not legal assistance, Bechtel said. A new fund could do that, officials said.
Parvin referred to herself as a fiscal conservative and described the county’s budget as unpredictable. She listed increasing costs from health care to union contracts.
“I’m not trying to say the effort is not worth it, because it’s great,” Parvin said. “I’m just saying I’m looking at this from a bigger picture, and from a budget standpoint, I have to look at this very conservatively.”
What happens next for a legal assistance fund?
During the meeting, some spoke out against the proposals, raising concerns about spending and questioning legal risks.
But most of the public comments urged the board to invest in an immigration legal defense team and fund, efforts some said were critical to support residents and to stop families from being separated.
The 805 Immigrant Coalition – 805 Undocufund, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy and other groups – supported Lopez’s proposals.
After the hearing, Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of the local nonprofit 805 UndocuFund, called what happened “a big slap in the face” to the local community members who showed up for the hours-long meetings and asked supervisors to support the proposals.
Hernandez said the coalition would continue to talk to local cities. Bechtel, too, said discussions were ongoing with jurisdictions.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at [email protected] or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: County board rejects proposal for immigration funds, legal services
