The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance Wednesday that restricts federal law enforcement access to county facilities without a warrant. Supervisor Jim Desmond was the lone dissenter on the ordinance, which passed on a 3-1 vote, with Joel Anderson absent. As proposed by board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, an updated version of the Civil Liberties Enforcement and Accountability Rules Ordinance would require: — judicial warrants for federal access to non-public areas of county properties; — signs in multiple languages that allow visitors to understand their rights; — county contractors, grantees and lessees to enforce civil-rights protections; — an annual public report on U.S. Department of Homeland Security activity and any interaction or cooperation with the county sheriff; and — supporting residents to access county services — such as health care, marriage licenses and assistance — “without fear of intimidation or detainment.” Related stories: Immigration Jan 21 ICE says its officers can forcibly enter homes during immigration operations without judicial warrant: 2025 memo ICE Jan 23 Multiple San Diego County protests target ICE and corporate ties Immigration Jan 22 California AG asks judge to order El Cajon to stop sharing license plate reader data The item was part of Wednesday’s consent agenda and will take effect in 30 days, according to Lawson-Remer’s office. The ordinance “supports efforts to ensure that county resources are not used for immigration raids or to target individuals based on protected characteristics,” Lawson-Remer’s office stated. Lawson-Remer on Wednesday thanked San Diego City Councilman Sean Elo- Rivera, who proposed the idea of the city and county working together in bringing an ordinance. She added that the ordinance will be enforced in part via agreements with the county’s contractors. “I think we all want law enforcement to keep our communities safe, but when families are afraid to go into a clinic or report a crime or walk into a county office, that makes everyone less safe,” she added. Desmond described the ordinance as “divisive and restrictive, and not collaborative.” “Unfortunately, it took two tragic shootings in Minnesota for both sides to come together to the table to talk and to compromise,” Desmond said, referring to the January shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37. Desmond added that public safety is best protected “when all levels of government communicate clearly and coordinate effectively before crises happen, not after.” Supervisor Paloma Aguirre also mentioned Good and Pretti during her comments in support of the CLEAR Ordinance. “This is unacceptable — no government agency should operate in a way that leaves communities traumatized and questioning whether basic safeguards still exist,” she said. During a public hearing, most spoke in favor of the new policy, including a member of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans who shared her own citizenship journey. Patricia Serrano said she was undocumented for 25 years in the United States, “because the system is broken,” and didn’t have an opportunity to become legalized. Serrano said she is now a proud American citizen, but “I’m still afraid to go out and be profiled (due to) my color, by my accent.” People “have the perception that we are criminals — we are human beings,” she said. “It’s not easy to leave your country or your family behind.” On Jan. 13, the supervisors voted 3-1 to advance the policy as part of a first reading. Anderson was the lone no vote, with Desmond absent that day. In statement afterward, Anderson said he voted against the proposal “because spending a million dollars to tell federal employees to follow the Constitution at the expense of constituents in my district that need social services was not acceptable to me.” An official from Anderson’s office said the figure was based on an estimate from county staff. According to information on Wednesday’s agenda, money for the proposal is part of the fiscal year 2025-26 budget, based on existing staff time in the Purchasing and Contracting Department and Communications Office, along with service charges to client departments and general purpose revenue. “There will be no change in net general fund cost and no additional staff years,” according to the county. Last October, supervisors directed Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton write a draft of the ordinance based upon a policy the San Diego City Council adopted on Oct. 20. County staff presented a drafted ordinance on Nov. 18, and supervisors on Dec. 9 directed Shelton to include amendments to the proposed law. ...read more read less