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San Mateo supervisors direct staff to draft ordinance limiting detention facilities after Liccardo urges urgency
Summary
The Board of Supervisors unanimously directed county staff to develop an ordinance restricting the siting and operation of large detention facilities in unincorporated San Mateo County and asked that an urgency moratorium be returned at the next meeting, following remarks from Congressman Liccardo and broad board support.
San Mateo County supervisors voted unanimously to direct the county executive's office to draft an ordinance to prohibit or limit the siting and operation of large detention facilities in unincorporated areas. The action, moved by Supervisor Ray Mueller, responds to regional proposals and concerns that such facilities could jeopardize public health and local infrastructure.
Congressman Liccardo told the board the state Department of Justice report showed troubling conditions at some ICE detention facilities and urged local action: "Essentially, these are temporary moratoria that can last between 45 days and a year, that enables you to have the time, to do the work as well as the outreach that is required." Supervisors said County Counsel and planning staff should return with an urgency ordinance at the next meeting so the county can act quickly if a proposal surfaces.
The board framed the measure as a public-health and land-use tool, not a federal-immigration stance. President Corso said the county is joining a regional effort to make sure any future proposals are examined through the "lens of public health, safety, infrastructure, environmental impacts, and appropriate land use." The motion passed unanimously.
The board instructed staff to identify necessary findings for an urgency ordinance and to coordinate with other Bay Area jurisdictions and legal counsel on implementation timelines.
