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Hundreds urge Sonoma County supervisors to adopt sanctuary protections; board forms ad hoc working group
Summary
A long public comment period urged the Board to adopt an enforceable county sanctuary ordinance or other protections for immigrants. Chair Hopkins and Vice Chair Hermosillo committed to weekly meetings with organizers and formed an ad hoc group to draft substantive recommendations.
Hundreds of residents, workers and faith and labor leaders told the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 that the county should enact a sanctuary ordinance or other enforceable protections for immigrants and refugees.
Speakers described personal encounters with ICE, fears among children and patients, and the economic reliance of the county’s agriculture and hospitality sectors on immigrant labor. “Please, vote bring this to a vote and vote for the sanctuary ordinance,” said Angelo Spear, a Rohnert Park resident and ESL teacher. Labor and health‑care representatives, including the North Bay Labor Council and community health workers, said a local ordinance would signal support and help rebuild trust even if it could not block federal action.
Board members acknowledged the intensity of public sentiment and the limits of county authority. Chair Linda Hopkins, citing meetings with hunger strikers and community members, said the board would not take immediate legislative action at the dais but pledged next steps. “Vice Chair Hermosillo and I have committed to clearing our calendars and meeting weekly with representatives from the sanctuary coalition to come back and bring a substantive proposal to better protect immigrants and refugees before the Board of Supervisors,” Hopkins said.
Vice Chair Noelle Hermosillo and other supervisors described forming an ad hoc working group to meet weekly with community representatives and staff to develop tangible recommendations the Board can consider. Supervisors said the group will focus on practical, enforceable measures—such as clarifying county employee guidelines for interactions with immigration enforcement, identifying rapid‑response funding and services, and coordinating with cities and community providers—rather than relying solely on symbolic declarations.
The ad hoc group is intended to produce proposals for the Board during the months ahead; Board members said some measures could require no formal ordinance but could be implemented administratively or by interagency agreement. The Board did not place a sanctuary ordinance on the agenda that day.
