Monterey County re-adopts ‘Welcoming County’ resolution and funds outreach after federal enforcement concerns

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution reestablishing the county as a welcoming county and agreed to fund public education and outreach, including paid public service announcements and distribution of "know your rights" materials.

The board adopted the measure at the request of Supervisor Luis Alejo, who said the updated resolution clarifies local practice to align with state law and responds to recent reports of immigration enforcement activity that have created fear among immigrant residents. "This resolution is essentially the resolution our board adopted back in 2017, but we tightened up the language to align with what is already state law," Alejo said during the meeting.

The nut of the action is that county departments will not use local resources to enforce federal immigration law except as required by state or federal law or a court order, and the county will invest in community education. Alejo told the board that the county has already printed and distributed more than 20,000 bilingual "know your rights" cards and produced informational videos in six languages (Spanish, English and four indigenous languages spoken locally). He requested funds to produce 30-second public service announcements and to distribute additional outreach materials to farmworker, school and faith communities.

Why it matters: Supervisors and public speakers said the resolution and outreach are meant both to reassure residents who fear enforcement actions and to preserve public safety by encouraging crime victims and witnesses to continue cooperating with local government. "It will impact tens of thousands of families in our county, when nearly one-third of our residents are foreign born," Alejo said.

Board debate and context: Supervisors praised the ad hoc immigrant-rights committee that prepared the update and said county departments — including the sheriff, district attorney, public defender, health and social services offices — helped draft language and recommended implementation approaches. Supervisor Daniels asked how a county resolution affects enforcement actions that occur inside individual cities or on federal land; Alejo and other supervisors said state law (Assembly Bill SB 54, sometimes referred to as the California Values Act) already constrains local use of resources for immigration enforcement and that the county has coordinated with the attorney general's office to provide a complaint process for alleged violations.

Supervisor Church, whose comments touched on the economic impacts of enforcement, said federal inaction on immigration policy has left local communities facing uncertainty. "This problem is never gonna be resolved until the federal government decides that it's time to stop making political points and really worry about what's doing the right thing," Church said.

Public comment: Dozens of residents, community groups and legal advocates spoke during public comment and at the item hearing. Supporters included community organizers and representatives of Milpa and other local advocacy groups who emphasized the economic contributions of immigrant residents and asked the board to back outreach and legal help. Several speakers described personal family histories and urged reassurance for immigrant families; others urged federal reform rather than local declarations. One commenter noted scams that prey on fearful residents and encouraged distribution of verified information.

Formal action and implementation steps: The board voted to approve the resolution and the accompanying outreach plan; the motion passed unanimously. Supervisors directed staff to continue distributing printed materials, to air public service announcements in multiple languages and to hold community forums in Salinas and other areas (a county forum is scheduled for Feb. 12 at Alisal High School). County staff confirmed the outreach includes an information website, multi-language videos already produced, and the printed cards mentioned by Alejo.

What was not decided or specified: Supervisors approved the outreach program concept and gave staff direction but did not specify a dollar amount for the public service announcements during the meeting; transcript discussion noted an "amount needed for public service announcements" but did not state a sum. Supervisors also said the county will continue legislative and legal advocacy in Sacramento and Washington but did not create a new enforcement policy beyond alignment with state law.

Looking ahead: Alejo said the ad hoc committee will hold a series of community forums across the county and continue coordination with health, education and legal service providers. County staff and community partners will track distribution of materials and report back as requested.