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Residents urge immigration protections, animal services and support for local museum at council public forum
Summary
Speakers at the Los Banos Feb. 4 public forum urged the council to protect residents from federal civil immigration enforcement consistent with SB 54, thanked staff for animal-services work, and called for support for the Milliken Museum’s membership drive and community events.
At the start of its Feb. 4 meeting, the Los Banos City Council opened its public forum and heard several community updates and appeals.
Vanessa Barraza, field representative for Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, provided a legislative update and reminded residents Feb. 20 is the deadline to introduce new bills for 2026; she also outlined state investments that could benefit the region and offered to host monthly mobile office hours to assist local constituents.
Sybil Halloran spoke on behalf of more than two dozen residents and urged the city to ensure staff and law enforcement do not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement, specifically calling for training on SB 54 compliance, clear internal procedures, and published public guidance on residents’ rights during enforcement interactions.
Other public comments included praise for recent animal-control work and volunteer feral-cat programs, an appeal from the Chamber of Commerce about membership and volunteer support, and a membership-drive presentation from Javier Powell of the Milliken Museum announcing upcoming events including a Feb. 25 lecture and Mar. 6 Arbor Day breakfast.
Council members thanked attendees, acknowledged the concerns raised (particularly around public-safety and training), and said staff will consider the requests within the scope of city authority and state law.
