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Soledad adopts state legislative platform; council adds language on ICE enforcement and family separation
Summary
The council adopted a 2025-26 state legislative platform that covers homelessness, housing, behavioral health, fiscal sustainability, infrastructure, public safety, climate resilience, parks and equity. Members asked staff to add language on immigration enforcement near sensitive locations and on avoiding family separations.
The Soledad City Council unanimously adopted its 2025-26 state legislative platform, which will guide the city27s positions on bills and help staff and the city27s lobbyist identify measures to support or oppose during the legislative session.
Townsend Government Affairs worked with the city27s legislative ad-hoc committee to draft the nine-topic platform addressing homelessness, affordable housing and land‑use, behavioral health alternatives, fiscal sustainability and economic development, general infrastructure and transportation, public safety and cybersecurity, climate resilience, parks and recreation, and equity and immigrant services.
Council members asked that the platform explicitly address measures related to immigration enforcement at sensitive locations. The council instructed staff to add language opposing any legislation that would compel local participation in immigration-enforcement activities (for example location-based enforcement in schools and public-safety or health facilities) and to emphasize support for pathways to citizenship that do not separate families. Councilmembers also asked staff to prioritize improvements to existing public-transit services in the platform27s transportation priorities rather than emphasizing long-range rail projects.
Staff and Spencer Townsend said the platform will be a living document; with the council27s approval staff may issue letters of support or opposition branded to the adopted platform without returning to council for each bill. The council requested staff circulate an initial list of existing state bills related to immigration enforcement and confirm which measures the city should track and whether the legislative subcommittee will sign letters on the council27s behalf.
Council adopted the platform with the requested clarifications and additions.
