While the nation has a President-Elect who is promising mass deportations in his second term, this state does have a Governor in Gavin Newsom who is promising a policy of non-compliance with any federal overreach and to retain California’s “sanctuary state” status.
That said, as is so often the case it will fall on local officials to protect the most vulnerable members of the community. Culver City already has “sanctuary city” status, but Bryan “Bubba” Fish, soon to take a seat on the City Council, wants to strengthen those policies.
“The second Trump era will be devastating to so many communities,” Fish told the News. “I hope we can harness this moment to make our city as safe and inclusive as possible to all. I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to meet this moment. I’ll be looking into ways where we may be able to strengthen our sanctuary city policies.”
Fish believes that housing affordability needs to be a focus.
“Our median rent has climbed past $3,200 a month and over the past 10 years, our Latino/a population has declined from 23 percent to less than 18 percent,” Fish said. “We are pricing out our diversity including vulnerable populations who may now rely on Culver City for their safety. Our city can have all the sanctuary city policies we want, but we won’t be much of a refuge if we don’t make it easier to afford to live here.”
“I ran because I believe that we can create a more inclusive city together,” Fish said in conclusion. “And given the national election results, I believe it’s now even more important that we deliver on that.”