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Residents urge council to reconsider non‑sanctuary declaration, warn of harm to immigrant community
Summary
Several speakers during public comment told the council they oppose the city’s recent designation as a non‑sanctuary city and asked the council to reconsider, saying the decision risks targeting immigrants and harms community cohesion.
Multiple Oroville residents used public‑comment time on March 18 to urge the city council to reconsider a recent council action designating Oroville a non‑sanctuary city.
Skipper Clark, who identified himself as garden manager for the Wyandotte community garden and a long‑time Oroville resident, said: “I am here today to speak to you in order to register my protest of your recent decision to declare Oroville a non sanctuary city.” Clark said the community benefits from Hispanic neighbors and urged the council not to adopt national rhetoric that denigrates people based on differences.
Carlos Ramirez, who identified himself as a resident born and raised in Oroville, told the council he “strongly oppose[d] Oroville’s recent decision to declare itself a non sanctuary city,” calling the resolution unrelated to local crime data and saying it created an environment where immigrant families feel unsafe. Ramirez urged the council to instead pursue “policies that actually improve safety for all Oroville residents, regardless of immigration status.”
Other speakers raised related concerns about community trust and civil‑rights history. Council members did not take formal action on the public comments during the meeting; several elected officials later reiterated that data‑driven public‑safety strategies should be prioritized and noted the comments would be part of continued discussion.
