PLACERVILLE, El Dorado County — Leaning back in his chair, his gold sheriff’s badge glinting in a shaft of light, John D’Agostini thought for a second about what he would do if Sacramento legislators imposed San Francisco-style sanctuary laws
to protect people living across the state illegally.
His dilemma is part of the complex immigration debate in California, where a bill passed last week by the state Senate
would restrict cooperation with U.S. immigration agents everywhere, including not only liberal strongholds but bastions of conservatism like El Dorado County.
To D’Agostini, the proposed law, SB54, is tantamount to coddling criminals, and that doesn’t wash in the historic Gold Rush towns and foothill hamlets he serves. He said he would simply refuse to go along.
“I’m going to follow federal law on this issue,” said the sheriff from his office in Placerville, the county seat so closely associated with frontier justice that it was once known as Hangtown. “It’s concerning because its going to put me crosswise with state law.”
“I have a lot of immigrants who are really good friends of mine, but a lot of them voted for Trump because they believe in doing the right thing — which is to immigrate legally,” said Turnboo, 63. “
The problem is when immigrants commit horrible crimes and they release them into our community. That’s wrong.”
The largely conservative county, which stretches from the growing Sacramento suburb of El Dorado Hills through the touristy Mother Lode region and into South Lake Tahoe along the route of the old Pony Express,
gave Trump 52.6 percent of the votes in November, compared with 38.9 for Hillary Clinton.
It’s one of several counties that may resist the sanctuary state bill, which was written by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, and squarely places California on a collision course with the White House.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/If-California-becomes-a-sanctuary-state-this-11060428.php
