California leaders fume over Supreme Court ruling on immigration raids

Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to “continue fighting” after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted restrictions on immigration raids in Los Angeles, but the state might not have many options. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged as much during a press conference Monday where he said he was disappointed in the decision but added that he respects the rule of law. 

• Bonta: “The rationale articulated by Justice (Brett) Kavanaugh is dangerous and wrong. But he’s a Supreme Court justice and I’m not.”

As CalMatters’ Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos explain, the country’s highest court handed President Donald Trump’s administration a win by lifting a restraining order that limited agents from conducting “roving patrols” and stopping people in part based on their appearance.

In addition to L.A., the ruling will likely have major impacts across the country, as immigration agents ramp up operations in Chicago, Boston and elsewhere.

• L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, on social media: “This is an attack on every person in every city in this country. Today’s ruling is not only dangerous — it’s un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the U.S.”

While noting that California is not a party in the lawsuit, Bonta remained non-committal about the state’s options following the ruling, saying that it will monitor the dispute and potentially file an amicus brief should the involved parties respond to the court’s decision.

Meanwhile Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas hinted at possible legislative actions to push back against Trump “with everything we’ve got.” 

• Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, in a statement: “We’ve already passed laws to prevent raids in our schools and hospitals. … The only way we stop Trump is by standing together.”

A federal judge issued the restraining order in July, siding with civil rights, immigrant rights and local government agencies that argued that immigration agents were violating Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

But in a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court granted the administration’s emergency request to lift that order, with the three justices appointed by Democratic presidents dissenting. 

• Justice Kavanaugh, in his concurring opinion explaining his reasoning to lift restrictions: “Ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this Court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered with other salient factors.”

• Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent: “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.”

Read more here.

The California Senate took a moment to honor one of its legends when it returned to business, recognizing John Burton, who died Sunday at the age of 92. 

Describing him as one of the Senate’s “finest members,” Senate president pro tem Mike Mcguire of Santa Rosa led the chamber on Monday in a moment of silence to honor the former lawmaker and California Democratic Party leader. 

Known for his brash way of speaking, Burton was a key figure in Democratic politics in California for decades. News of his passing drew multiple honors and tributes from California’s top officials, including from those whose careers were shaped by Burton, such as Gov. Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

• Newsom, in a statement: “There was no greater champion for the poor, the bullied, the disabled, and forgotten Californians than John Burton. … His legacy is not only written in the policies he helped enact, but in the countless lives he touched and uplifted, including my own.”

Newsom directed flags to be flown at half-staff, and the governor plans to posthumously induct Burton into the California Hall of Fame. In her tribute, Pelosi described Burton as a “towering progressive warrior,” while close friend and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown told the San Francisco Chronicle that Burton’s influence was “immeasurable.”

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would help protect schoolchildren from being sexually abused by educators, but the measure faces opposition by some teacher’s unions, writes Matt Drange for CalMatters.

In addition to requiring training for teachers and students on how to recognize signs of sexual grooming, Senate Bill 848 would mandate district officials to report and track “egregious” instances of employee misconduct. It would also create a hiring database that administrators must use to vet prospective teachers for potential misconduct.

The database is intended to curb the practice of schools re-hiring teachers who have resigned from another school after being accused of sexual misconduct. The California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, notably does not oppose the bill, despite opposing similar legislation in past years. The California Federation of Teachers and the California School Employees Association do, however, citing concerns over due process.

• Tristan Brown, California Federation of Teachers’ legislative director. “We need to ensure a policy that captures individuals that are unfit to work in education while making sure innocent and unfairly charged employees have fair access to justice.”

Read more here.

Attorney General Bonta on Monday said the state is suing L.A. County over its jails’ “inhumane conditions,” and high rates of in-custody deaths despite decades of court monitoring. Learn more from CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich.