At first, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go to Tehachapi, CA.
The city is more than two hours away--without traffic--in Kern County.
Besides, the city is one of the reddest in California, right? There's no way that they city would not take a stand against SB 54, would they?
Then again, I had thought that the City of Camarillo would take a stance and oppose SB 54 as a law after they had sent out a letter opposing SB 54 as a bill. We all know how that turned out, don't we?
At any rate, I had finished rallying for Tommy Robinson outside of the British Consulate in Century City, and the drive to Kern County wouldn't be terrible leaving post noon.
Off I went. A few hours later, Megan, a friend of mine from LA County who is also fighting hard against SB 54, joined me.
Tehachapi is a beautiful little city, very rural, but with a thriving business section along the outskirts of the city. Many of the restaurants close earlier than expected, considering that the region is a sleepier area, but otherwise the weather and the people were kind and inviting.
After taking a few hours to write up a report about the successful Tommy Robinson campaign (and to prepare for Election 2018 primaries!), Megan and I went to the Tehachapi police station, where they were hosting the city council meeting. The original city council chambers is too small for the large groups that were heading over to the city council hearing.
As I walked up to the meeting, some of the residents recognized from the YouTube videos that I have recorded. One guy remembered me from Berkeley, when I was chased down the street, robbed, and assaulted for my beliefs.
I was shocked! I didn't realize that residents and viewers remembered those videos! I felt so at home that day!
And it was a sizeable crowd which attended:
The love of country, the strong sentiment for the rule of law was palpable in the room. While taking the photos, I said that we need to put veterans first, put Americans first, not illegal aliens. Just as I had mentioned in Siskiyou County last month, I suggested that we have a sanctuary for gun owners, and that cities should be sanctuaries for citizens. People cheered in agreement then started waving their flags.
I have never felt so at home in a city council meeting,either. The residents in the city and from surrounding neighborhoods showed up in strong numbers to voice their opposition to sanctuary policies and to push for the rule of law and the restoration of American sovereignty.
What a great day it was, seeing so many American flags waving in the room. One lady was handing out small American flags. Another guy wore an incredible shirt with a biker, an eagle, and the Stars and Stripes soaring behind.
The room turned into standing-room only rather quickly, but Megan saved me a seat right in the front row. The local press took pictures of me and others, including my "Make America Great Again" flag banner:
At the last city council meeting, the members took no action on SB 54 by a 2-2 vote. Why the hesitation? Two of the city councilmembers wanted more information on what steps the city can take against SB 54, and they wanted to know what the costs entailed for the city to do anything.
The residents lined up along the walls as well as in the chairs to make sure that their elected officials did the right thing to oppose SB 54.
Not one person attended the meeting to support SB 54. Everyone stood in opposition to this perverse law.
Here's the full video I recorded of the city council meeting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaET4qiFudM
During public comment on the two agenda items regarding SB 54, #11 and #12, a number of speakers outlined some very telling reasons, both personal as well as political, for their opposition and their demand for full pressure to stop SB 54.
Then I met this Angel Mom:
 |
Joanna with her son, now deceased
murdered by an illegal alien |
Her son was murdered--yes, murdered--by an illegal drunk driver who had been arrested and deported several times before. She and her husband addressed the council first, invited by Councilman Ken Hetge to tell her story.
Such a poignant moment, and quite telling that the city council went to every length possible to recognize those families who have lost loved ones to illegal aliens. Councilman Hetge brought forward the resolution to oppose SB 54 and file an amicus brief. He explained at the outset that the council works for the people, not the other way around. Anyone watching should have clearly seen that the city doesn't want any kind of sanctuary policy in Tehachapi, Kern County, or anywhere in the state of California.
Another lady shared that she had actually moved from Texas to California! I was surprised, since the movement is usually out of California to Texas, and most people run fast. She shared the pain of losing one of her two children to an illegal alien drunk driver, too. Just terrible.
The only slightly negative voice in the room told everyone that if they wanted to make a difference, they needed to vote. I could not agree more. The only problem followed when he said that it did not matter whom Californians voted for.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing.
Another woman shared that she had done everything correctly to enter the United States and become a legal resident. She was not even a citizen yet, and therefore she could not vote, but she pleaded with everyone to consider the efforts of all those who follow the right paths to become legal residents in the country. When she finished, she told me that she came from Canada. I mentioned in passing that this country has illegal aliens from Ireland, too, and they need to be deported.
One man announced his push for increased transparency from the city council, and he sounded off against the city attorney, whom he felt was biased toward doing nothing. I am glad that someone was ready to call out the city attorney in Tehachapi, because when he had shared what SB 54 did and did not do, including the failed argument that SB 54 exempts a number of felonies to be reported to ICE. The fact is that many felonies get reduced to misdemeanors because of Props 47 and 57, thus shielding violent multiple illegal alien felons from deportation. The city attorney took offense, arguing that he wasn't trying to sway the city council one way or another. However, he did use the word "undocumented" to describe illegal aliens. That is not acceptable.
Another woman talked about identity theft, how she discovered through the mail that her son had signed up for food stamps. One problem: her ten-year old died in 2002. Unbelievable! The illegal alien who had stolen her sons ID was caught, but received hardly any consequence. This abuse of justice has become all too common.
One guy talked about the importance of having California jobs stay in California. Illegal aliens in Tehachapi were taking jobs away from working Americans, undercutting the wages in all sorts of industries, especially construction jobs. He even remarked that when ICE showed up one day, forty contracts fled a project at the local high school!
The guy wearing the incredible shirt blazing with biker patriotism asked a simple question: What does the chief of police think about SB 54? I worried about his response. In cities throughout Southern California, police chiefs shy away from taking a clear stance on this issue. Oftentimes, they simply remark that SB 54 does not effect the local and street police efforts to keep the communities safe.
That is not true, and sadly many police chiefs do not take a stance since they are political appointees. County Sheriffs are more likely to speak out against SB 54 since they are elected directly by the people and the pressure to maintain safety is incredible. The chief declared very directly his opposition to SB 54, and I was relieved. There are now two police chiefs on record opposing SB 54 and pointing out how the legislation has hindered their law enforcement efforts. In future city councils, participants should speak the truth about the politicization
I wanted to speak, but the Mayor Pro Tem told me to let others speak first, since I had spoken twice before. Nothing in the agenda stated that speaking times were limited to a certain number of minutes or only one time to speak to the city council. At first I relented, since other people in the meeting weren't all running up to speak out. I imagine that for many of the people there, that was their first time in the city council chambers.
Finally, I pressed my turn. "I drove two hours to be here," I said to the Mayor Pro-Tem.
At the podium, I covered the constitutional aspects of SB 54, and then I shared that there are other Angel Moms (and Dads!) who have lost their children to illegal aliens. It's time to put Americans First, and it's time for local and state officials to stand up to Sacramento's lawlessness and Make California Great Again. A rousing applause followed after I spoke.
The city council then returned to consider their item going forward. The argument from Councilman Hetge was spot on, as he reiterated that cost should not be the final issue regarding whether the city council takes action or not against SB 54. The city attorney did acknowledge the cost, but the councilman countered with a simple calculation: "I think that every resident here would contribute the $3.50 to help pay for this." In larger cities like Torrance or even entire counties, I am certain that law-abiding residents who love their country and desire public safety would happily toss in the ten or twenty cents to pay for any legal action.
At the end of the discussion and the vote, the city council unanimously approved their resolution against SB 54 and directed the city attorney to file an amicus brief.
It was a stunning victory, but not just because this patriotic city took a stand against SB 54: that was predictable. What stood out for me was that so many showed up in the city council chambers, and many people came and thanked me for coming to the city council meeting. One speaker told the rest of the public that this movement has to continue into other cities, since Tehachapi elected officials can only rule on those local issues.
It was really important for me to be there also because the city attorney's preliminary remarks were incomplete. I went to greater pains to recognize his efforts without shaming him, but I also told him that other cities and counties had filed amicus briefs which would be discharged at another team since the deadline for the federal district court hearing had passed. There will be an appellate hearing since both sides have invested so much in this case, especially the American people and the Department of Justice against California's sanctaury state lawlessness.
After the two agenda items, the city council recessed for ten minutes. A number of people came up to me and thanked me for being there. They know what LA County for Trump has been doing, going all over the state to stop SB 54 and get more cities on board. I met two people from Torrance, too! The last person I talked to is a contractor, and he had shared with me how illegal immigration was gutting his industry terribly. The cheap illegal labor does not play by the rules or the pay the same taxes, fees, and regulations which law-abiding businesses pay. That's not fair!
Another lady, a professor from West LA College and a UCLA grad attended the meeting too, but she sided with us against SB 54! That was AWESOME!
VICTORY IN TEHACHAPI!!
