The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved two agenda items that, although placed in the consent calendar and receiving little discussion, are likely to have significant impacts.
The first is an ordinance that bars federal agents from staging or processing immigration enforcement operations on county-owned or county-controlled sites, including buildings, parking lots and open spaces. It does not apply when agents present a judicial warrant or court order.
Supervisors also approved a plan to remove references to Cesar Chavez from county materials and rename “Cesar Chavez Day” as “Farmworkers Day.”
The action follows recent reporting that the late labor leader sexually abused women and girls. The revelations have prompted responses across the United States, with some communities renaming buildings, roads and parks and removing statues.
The county action directs staff to update personnel regulations, signs and electronic materials, and to identify and remove Chavez’s name from county-affiliated signs, monuments, programs, awards and street names, where applicable.
Board Chair Monica Martinez called the news “incredibly shocking.”
“But I believe what was more shocking was that really courageous women held on to this secret for 60 years,” she said. “What’s important to me is that we stand with women, that we believe women, that we support them, and that we as leaders work to dismantle the systems and structures that allow this type of abuse to continue to happen in secret.”
The immigration ordinance was developed by the county’s S.H.I.E.L.D. subcommittee—Safeguarding Health, Inclusion, Essential Services and Local Defense—made up of Supervisors Monica Martinez and Felipe Hernandez. The group has been reviewing how federal immigration enforcement and potential federal budget changes could affect residents’ access to county services.
The effort focuses on coordinating county resources and ensuring employees have clear guidance if federal immigration officials arrive at county facilities.
As part of that work, six departments—the Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, Public Defender’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Health Services Agency and Human Services Department—have updated procedures for interacting with immigration authorities. Countywide staff training and guidance are in development.
