Thread: Immigration Sanctuary Hot Issue In National City Protest

Wow! I just watched the video. I've never seen Jim Gilchrist so angry! He called Inzunsa a "racist pig".

http://www.signonsandiego.com

National City named sanctuary city


Immigration activists get decree from mayor
By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 1, 2006

NATIONAL CITY – Mayor Nick Inzunza declared National City an immigrant sanctuary in a proclamation he presented to immigrants rights activists during dueling rallies that brought about 400 people to City Hall yesterday.

The San Diego Minutemen, and immigrants rights supporters faced off on National City Boulevard with about 130 peace officers in riot gear between them to keep the crowds from mixing. The crowds appeared to be near even in number.

Inzunza didn't leave City Hall, for fear of inciting violence. Instead, he invited immigration rights activist Enrique Morones inside to receive the proclamation.

“We're still a nation of laws. We still have a constitution that protects us. That's what we're saying,” Inzunza told reporters.

Early last month, Inzunza announced his plan to declare the city a sanctuary for immigrants, though a majority City Council vote is required to officially establish it.

In a sanctuary city, municipal funds cannot be used for enforcing federal immigration laws, which is already the case in National City.

Inzunza said yesterday that the proclamation was a way of memorializing National City policies, such as the Spanish translation for council meetings and the city's acceptance of the Matricula Consular identification cards, issued by the Mexican government through its consulates, as an official ID. The card shows that the bearer is a Mexican citizen who is living outside of Mexico.

The proclamation also notes how Inzunza has denounced any efforts to break constitutional law and violate civil liberties, and rejected “the hysteria being created to align immigrants with terrorists, homeland security, or any other threat to our nation.”

Inzunza said he hoped the proclamation would “let the community know we are on the right side of the law.”

The rallies, which began about 11:30 a.m. and lasted until 2 p.m., went more smoothly than similar demonstrations last week, when one person was arrested, said National City police Capt. Manuel Rodriguez. No one was arrested yesterday.

Rodriguez said police learned from last time not to let people into the street. So yesterday, each group was kept on its respective sidewalk. Law enforcement from each agency in the county was represented, including mounted police from San Diego and El Cajon and a sheriff's helicopter, which circled overhead.

In preparation for the protests, the city canceled events at Kimball Park and closed the library for the day.

Morones, the immigrants rights activist who organized the rally, said more than 1,000 signatures had been collected in support of the mayor's declaration.

National City's proclamation was only the beginning, Morones said. He hoped other cities would follow.

“This proclamation tells our people they're welcome here,” Morones said. “We're all the same race – the human race.”

Across the street, the anti-illegal immigration side called for Inzunza to come outside.

“The people of this community are countering Nick Inzunza's declaration with our own declaration that this is not a sanctuary city,” said Jeff Schwilk, founder of the San Diego Minutemen, which started out as volunteers patrolling the border in search of illegal immigrants.

“The drug dealers and the human smugglers cannot come here and hide.”

By about 1:30 p.m., Minutemen supporters began leaving. Close to 2 p.m. one man was left, waving an American flag while the crowd across the street chanted “Go home! Go home!”

He finally did when a police officer offered him an escort down the block. With him gone, the immigrants rights group started drifting away.

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Elizabeth Fitzsimons:
(619) 542-4577; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com



http://www.10news.com/news/9975454/detail.html

10News.com

Battle Over Immigration Reform In National City Continues

POSTED: 8:17 am PDT October 1, 2006
UPDATED: 1:57 pm PDT October 1, 2006

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. -- The battle over immigration reform came to National City Saturday, where pro- and anti-illegal immigration activists squared off over a proclamation by the mayor declaring the municipality an immigrant sanctuary, 10News reported.


The "Yes To National City Sanctuary Movement" organized the rally, while Minuteman members were among the counter-protesters.


A total of about 600 people for and against the proclamation made speeches, shouted slogans and waved signs from noon to about 2 p.m. outside the city's Civic Center in the 1200 block of National City Boulevard, said Lt. Lanny Roark of the National City Police Department.


Mayor Nick Inzunza had his proclamation delivered to the crowd.


No arrests were made, although the police presence was heavy, with law enforcement officers coming from all over the county, including Carlsbad, El Cajon, Chula Vista and the sheriff's department, Roark said.


"Because it is such a hot-button issue, it has the potential to inflame a lot of people," Roark said.


The lieutenant said the proclamation is mostly a symbolic gesture and does not have the force of law.

I ran across another benefit to living in a "sanctuary" city in today's news. I guess they need to find some way to squeeze some taxes out of their illegal population.

http://www.signonsandiego.com

National City sales tax rises today to 8.75%


Up to $9 million more in revenue expected
By Tanya Sierra
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 1, 2006

NATIONAL CITY – The county's highest sales tax rate takes effect in National City today as the rate officially rises 1 percentage point to 8.75 percent.

The higher rate is expected to produce $7 million to $9 million annually in extra revenue for the city, which officials said they needed to plug a $6 million deficit.

The tax, which won't apply to unprepared food, medicine or housing, is now $1.75 on a $20 purchase. Under the old tax it would have been $1.55.

Those purchasing cars, boats, motorcycles or planes will pay the sales tax rate of the city in which they reside. The Mile of Cars, the city's biggest aggregate tax producer, does not expect its sales to be affected by the higher rate since most of its customers come from outside the city.

The ballot measure for the higher tax was approved in June, with 59 percent of those who voted approving it.

Its passage didn't come without a fight, however. Last November, voters rejected a similar tax proposal, at which point city officials ordered across-the-board budget cuts. The city cut library hours, shut down the municipal pool and implemented a hiring freeze. Several police officers who left were not replaced.

Opponents of the tax increase contended that raising taxes for the lowest-income community in the county was wrong. They fought the June measure through mailers and other literature and argued their case in public debates.

A month after the tax passed, a National City resident filed paperwork with the city clerk saying he intends to try to get the tax repealed through another vote.

Since the tax begins in the midst of the city's fiscal year, officials are projecting about $5 million in revenue for this fiscal year, which ends in June.

Because the tax has a 10-year sunset clause, city officials are working to attract new retail outlets to the city, which will produce tax revenue.

On the books are a Costco, a Target and the Plaza Bonita Shopping Center expansion. City officials are discussing building a football stadium in the city for the San Diego Chargers and turning the city's municipal golf course into a retail outlet.

Property tax revenues are expected to increase with the thousands of new homes and condominiums planned in the city, but most of that revenue would go to the Community Development Commission because the construction is in the city's redevelopment zone.

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Tanya Sierra: (619) 498-6631; tanya.sierra@uniontrib.com

Inzunza said he hoped the proclamation would “let the community know we are on the right side of the law.”

Huh???? By protecting people who are here illegally? Guess that is the attitude when federal laws not enforced.