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Speakers Press Nevada County Board to Adopt Gaza Ceasefire Resolution and Resist ICE Enforcement
Summary
During the public comment period, multiple local residents and advocacy groups urged the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire and an arms embargo for Gaza and to adopt local protections against aggressive ICE enforcement. Speakers invoked federal law and urged the board to make a statement directing
Several members of the public used the March 11 public comment period to urge the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to take formal positions on international and immigration matters.
Multiple speakers, including Don Fraser and Jeffrey Gottesman of Jewish Voice for Peace and the Peace and Justice Center of Nevada County, asked the board to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire and an arms embargo regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza. Don Fraser referenced the Leahy law and asked the county to use its voice to urge federal elected officials to follow the law. "The Leahy Law prohibits U.S. government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in commission of gross violations of human rights," Fraser said during his comments.
Jeffrey Gottesman said the local organizations he represented had repeatedly requested such actions and cited humanitarian concerns and international law as reasons to press federal representatives. "All we're asking you to do is pass a resolution that asks that our federal and state governments follow the law," Gottesman said.
Other public commenters focused on immigration enforcement. A speaker identified as Marianne said she's observed Hispanic students missing school and said ICE enforcement has created fear in the community; she called for the county to adopt sanctuary or "safe and welcoming" policies and to ensure local institutions do not assist ICE beyond what is legally required. A caller, Matthew Coulter, raised separate public-safety complaints (illegal street vending, drug sales) and asked whether the county is a sanctuary jurisdiction.
The Board did not take formal action on these requests during the March 11 meeting. Supervisors and staff acknowledged the comments; the County Clerk reported public commenters and callers. Board members discussed the broader federal advocacy agenda in a later presentation and directed staff to draft a resolution addressing federal funding and mitigation priorities for delivery to the county's federal delegation, but no county resolution on Gaza or local immigration enforcement policy was introduced or adopted at this meeting.
The public comment period closed after the board took up department matters.
