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Resident details harassment, says federal complaints filed after Palmdale incidents
Summary
During non‑agenda public comment, resident Cessa Vega described multiple incidents in which she says she was harassed and followed while in medical distress and said she has filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice and DHS. She urged the council to address neighborhood safety on specific streets.
Cessa Vega told the Palmdale City Council she and her mother had previously met with a sheriff's deputy in these chambers 13 years ago and recalled a conversation that helped her feel welcomed. She described a July 26 incident in which, she said, a group blocked and followed an ambulance carrying her to Palmdale Regional Medical Center, shouted at her and called her an “illegal alien” while she was convulsing, and continued shouting until she lost consciousness. Vega said the events are the subject of both a federal Department of Justice complaint and a Department of Homeland Security complaint and asked the council to review public‑safety conditions on Q 7th and 3rd Street East.
"This is subject to a federal DOJ complaint. This is subject to a federal DHS complaint," Vega said, recounting the sequence of street harassment she described. She urged the council to take local steps to improve quality of life and safety in her neighborhood even though immigration enforcement is a federal matter. Other residents in the public‑comment period echoed calls for better local safety responses and for the council to consider what the city can control to protect residents.
The council did not take immediate action tied to Vega's complaint during the public‑comment period. Staff and council members said concerns raised in public comment would be referred to appropriate departments for follow‑up; the transcript shows no formal motion or timeline for that follow‑up during the meeting.
