GOP Mayor Not Backing Down From California Lawsuit Demanding Sanctuary City Compliance

A Republican California mayor says a lawsuit by state Democrats is merely a bullying tactic meant to force his city to “fall in line” with their liberal ideology.

Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the city of El Cajon on Friday, claiming the city violated a state law that prohibits the sharing of license plate data with federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies. The lawsuit follows escalating tensions between California and the Trump administration over federal immigration enforcement.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells says his city is simply prioritizing public safety and won’t be backing down.

“Let’s be clear — this is nothing more than a political stunt and an attempt to bully a conservative city for standing up for public safety,” Wells said in a public statement. “For years, Sacramento has looked for ways to punish cities like ours because we refuse to fall in line with their ideology.

“They’ve chosen politics over people, and now they’re using the courts to intimidate those of us who disagree with them,” Wells continued. “I make no apologies for protecting our residents.”

The issue revolves around SB 34, a California law passed in 2015 that bars local law enforcement from sharing data pulled from the state’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems with out-of-state or federal agencies, which can include Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A major point of contention for California leaders is that, once this information leaves the state, it can be used by other agencies that are not under their purview.

California has passed multiple laws over the years — such as SB 54 in 2017 and a recent ban on ICE agents wearing face masks — meant to severely restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. As deportation officers continue to arrest thousands of illegal migrants across the state, license plate data could help them nab other criminal illegal migrants.

“As the Trump Administration continues to target California’s immigrant communities, it is important that state and local law enforcement are not seen as a tool in furthering the President’s mass deportation agenda,” Bonta said in a public statement Friday. 

“Yet El Cajon has knowingly and repeatedly refused to comply with state law, jeopardizing the privacy and safety of individuals in its community,” Bonta went on. “Today, we’re asking a court to put this issue to bed and definitively affirm that California law prohibits the sharing of license plate data with federal and out-of-state agencies.”

Tensions between California Democrats and the Trump administration escalated dramatically when the White House launched immigration crackdowns across the Los Angeles region in June. The administration was forced to call in the National Guard to the city in response to widespread riots that caused millions in damage and put law enforcement’s lives in jeopardy.

Later that month, the Trump administration waged a lawsuit against Los Angeles for its sanctuary city law hindering ICE enforcement and sued the state of California in September for allegedly failing to provide voter registration data upon demand. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, largely seen as a top contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, sued the administration on Sunday for deploying California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.

Unlike the mayors of California’s biggest sanctuary cities, Wells argued that sharing information with federal law enforcement officials helps keep his citizens safe.

“I make no apologies for protecting our residents,” Wells stated. “The people of El Cajon expect their leaders to keep them safe, not to bow to the latest political agenda coming out of the Capitol. California’s priorities have become backwards — too often putting criminals before law-abiding citizens.”

“I refuse to play a part in that,” the mayor continued.