To: Board of Supervisors, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency, Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission, and the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Department or Agency Name(s): County Executive Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Christina Rivera; Jennifer Solito 707-565-2431
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Introduction of an Ordinance to Uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of Our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents and updates from the Supporting Immigrant Communities Ad Hoc
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Receive report on the status of the Supporting Immigrant Communities Ad Hoc.
B) Consider an Ordinance to Uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of Our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents and direct staff to schedule the proposed ordinance for consideration of adoption on April 28, 2026.
C) Adopt a Resolution introducing, reading the title of, and waiving further reading of an Ordinance to Uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of Our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents.
D) Allocate $1,500,000 from General Fund Contingencies to support the work of the Supporting Immigrant Communities Ad Hoc through identified resource needs and community partnerships.
end
Executive Summary:
The Supporting Immigrant Communities Ad Hoc Committee, made up of Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo and Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, was established in August 2025 to strengthen County efforts to support immigrant residents amid heightened federal enforcement activities. Since its inception, the Ad Hoc has convened regularly with community stakeholders, legal counsel, and County departments to identify service gaps, develop recommendations, and enhance emergency preparedness.
This item provides an update on recent Ad Hoc activities, recommends that the Board consider adopting a new County Ordinance that would clearly outline the County’s current policies and procedures regarding immigration enforcement and reaffirm the County’s commitment to safeguarding the dignity and well-being of all Sonoma County residents, including immigrant communities, and lastly, recommends that the Board set aside $1,500,000 in General Fund Contingencies to support the ongoing work of the Ad Hoc.
Discussion:
Since its formation in August 2025, the Supporting Immigrant Communities Ad Hoc (Ad Hoc) has met regularly to advance key initiatives and respond to community requests to ensure that County practices and policies align with state law and best practices and to strengthen County preparedness to respond to potential immigration enforcement events, while more broadly supporting immigrant communities.
On January 27, 2026, staff provided an update to the full Board on the various initiatives completed by the Ad Hoc. Those details can be found here: <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7824729&GUID=E931C6CB-12F3-4718-A663-7DA1E2C87421>
Below is a summary of key actions that have occurred since the January 27th update.
• Hosted 12-County Regional Coordination Convening - The Ad Hoc and staff are participating in the Belonging in the Bay Initiative, a consortium of 12 Bay Area counties that meet monthly to discuss regional preparedness efforts related to a potential large-scale immigration enforcement event. The County hosted the January convening in Sonoma Valley. This session focused on emergency preparedness and building regional communication networks. The County has assigned staff to participate in each of the four workgroups, which include: Law Enforcement; Legal Coordination; Social Services; and Communications. These workgroups connect monthly outside of the larger regional convening.
• Hosted a Convening of Local Immigrant Service Providers - On March 2nd, the Ad Hoc hosted a convening of approximately 40 immigrant service provider organizations. This facilitated meeting included an inventory of current resources and services, and a listening session to hear from providers working directly with immigrant communities regarding resource needs, gaps and barriers to service delivery, and opportunities to further support Sonoma County’s immigrant communities.
• Law Enforcement Immigration Policy FAQ - Staff worked with the Sheriff’s Office to develop a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to provide clarity around the current policies and practices of the Sheriff’s Office related to coordination and non-coordination with federal immigration enforcement agencies. This resource can be found on the County-hosted Support for Immigrant Communities website: <https://sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/county-executives-office/projects/support-for-immigrant-communities>
Recommendations:
1.) Ordinance to uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of Our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents (Ordinance): As discussed in the January 27th update, the Ad Hoc spent several months convening with the Sanctuary Coalition toward the development of a Non-Collaboration Ordinance. The Ordinance cannot legally be extended to apply to elected departments heads, such as the Sheriff or District Attorney. Due to this limitation, the Sanctuary Coalition did not support proceeding with the draft as proposed by the Ad Hoc and the initiative was paused.
The Ad Hoc has revisited the concept of an Ordinance and recommends the Board consider adoption of a new County Ordinance to provide clarity and centralized information regarding County’s policies and procedures related to immigration enforcement activities. The attached proposed Ordinance memorializes the County’s current operations and confirms compliance with all applicable state laws. The Ordinance would apply to all operations under the purview of the County Board of Supervisors, and as such, does not apply to the operations of elected department heads, however such departments are still bound by applicable State law.
The goal of this Ordinance is to confirm the County’s support for the civil rights and safety of all residents, including immigrant residents, and to memorialize the steps taken by the County in support of this commitment.
The Ordinance sets forth the following:
• Section 1 sets forth the findings and purpose of the Ordinance.
• Section 2 clarifies the defined terms utilized by the Ordinance.
• Section 3 sets forth that the County will protect all sensitive private information, including immigration status, and may only release such information when required by law.
• Section 4 explains the County will not allow the use of its resources, including personnel, software, other technologies, and physical space, to assist or cooperate with immigration enforcement operations unless required by law. Further, County-owned and leased property must not be used for immigration enforcement activities, staging, or other related operations. The County will clearly delineate public and non-public spaces. This was completed in 2025.
• Section 5 confirms the County will maintain public information regarding support and resources for immigrant communities, including the Support for immigrant communities website, found here: <https://sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/county-executives-office/projects/support-for-immigrant-communities>
• In Section 6, the County will implement training for staff regarding protocols for engaging with immigration enforcement officers at County facilities. This was completed in December 2025 and January 2026.
• In Sections 7 and 8 the County will require that departments and agencies report to the County Executive that the above training and signage have been completed and implemented. This was completed in 2025. The County as well affirms its stance against bullying, discrimination and hate violence.
• Sections 8 and 9 set forth the County’s commitment to these policies and procedures and method for review of implementation.
• Sections 10 through 12 provide the effective date, that this Ordinance is consistent with applicable law, and if any section of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid and/or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this Ordinance, and finally the publication requirements for the Ordinance.
By passing this Ordinance the County seeks to ensure that these protocols remain clear and consistent should immigration enforcement activities increase during this or any future administrations.
Should the Board approve this recommendation, staff will return on April 28, 2026 for the final adoption of the Ordinance.
2.) Funding Allocation: The Ad Hoc has received information regarding community resource needs from a variety of stakeholders. From the Service Providers convening discussed above and additional discussions with staff, the highest-priority areas, in no specific order, are as follows:
• Legal support and removal defense;
• Mental health support, including for immigration-specific evaluations;
• Need for overall coordination of various initiatives, including among service providers, government, and funders, as well as the development of specific accountability metrics for the existing work and systems;
• Enhancing the promotores networks to support the coordinated distribution of information through trusted messengers
• Provision of technology and language access to languages beyond English and Spanish;
• Law enforcement coordination to address misinformation in the community; and
• Post-detainment family supports, such as housing and food stabilization.
The Ad Hoc plans to host additional facilitated meetings to further assess specific actions within these categories and identify specific opportunities to invest resources and support.
In order to support this work, staff is requesting the Board allocate $1,500,000 from General Fund Contingencies. Staff will return to the full Board with specific funding recommendations for use of these set-aside funds following additional engagement with providers and the community.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Healthy and Safe Communities
Goal: Goal 1: Expand integrated system of care to address gaps in services to the County’s most vulnerable.
Objective: Objective 2: Identify gaps in the Safety Net system of services and identify areas where departments can address those gaps directly and seek guidance from the Board when additional resources and/or policy direction is needed.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
1/27/2026 - Board received an update on the status of the Ad Hoc
<https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7824729&GUID=E931C6CB-12F3-4718-A663-7DA1E2C87421>
11/4/2025 - Provided direction to staff regarding development of a policy prohibiting specific enforcement activities on County-controlled properties - <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7720689&GUID=007E4CB2-66D8-4792-9F4A-8A72150CB9B1>
9/23/2025 - Board reviewed draft ordinance towards implementation of SB 627. <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7662770&GUID=A2C7F5C5-B2D9-43D4-8D3D-D7B67FD2BAD4>
1/10/2025 - Board adopted a Resolution upholding the civil rights, dignity, health, and safety of the immigrant population and all Sonoma County community members. <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7087194&GUID=630532E8-1F20-41A1-9DF5-331527EAB540>
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$1,500,000 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$1,500,000 |
0 |
0 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
$1,500,000 |
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$1,500,000 |
0 |
0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Staff is requesting General Fund Contingencies in the amount of $1,500,000 be allocated to support the ongoing work of the Ad Hoc and for future resource allocations as identified through partnerships with community groups and service providers. Staff will return to the full Board with specific funding recommendations for use of this set-aside.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Draft Ordinance
Resolution
Presentation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.