Jen Mazzon advocates for sanctuary city status for Menlo Park
Update: The actions taken by the Menlo Park City Council on April 18 are chronicled in this article in the Almanac.
For Jen Mazzon, who’s lived in Menlo Park most of her life, it’s all about local families. That’s the reason she’s created a website featuring a petition to support the city of Menlo Park passing a sanctuary city ordinance, which the City Council will vote on at its April 18th meeting.
“I strongly encourage people to email/call the city council to share their perspectives on the topic, and to attend Tuesday’s city council meeting if they can,” Jen says. “I think the likelihood of the ordinance passing will increase if supporters make a strong showing at the meeting.”
Except for a local measure a few years back, she’s rarely involved herself in politics in the past. ,Jen says she was prompted to take action now for a number of reasons. “In my extended family, several people are first generation immigrants,” she says. “Also, I know people in Menlo Park whose families are a mix of citizens and undocumented. That’s incredibly stressful. Separating families is not healthy for our community.”
On the website, Jen explains that a sanctuary city is one that has “passed a city ordinance so that city employees don’t enforce federal immigration laws either at all or in specific situations. The specific ordinances vary. For example, one might tell police staff only to check citizenship status in case of felony conviction and public school staff not to check citizenship status of students.”
In January, Jen went to a community meeting to listen to a woman speak in support of sanctuary cities. As her children’s sole caregiver, the woman worried about what would happen to her children if she was deported.
“Even if that doesn’t happen, she, along with a group of people, are now scared and marginalized,” Jen says. “They’re no longer going to be active participants in their community because they’re afraid of being deported.”
At its March 14 meeting, the Menlo Park City Council, “in a unanimous bi-partisan vote,” agreed to sign onto the Amicus Curiae brief in support of Santa Clara County, in Santa Clara County v. Trump, seeking an injunction against the Federal government to prevent withholding of federal funds from so-called “Sanctuary Jurisdictions.” At stake is up to $1.7 billion dollars, close to 1/4 to 1/3 of Santa Clara County’s budget for infrastructure, public health, and social services, according to Council member Ray Mueller.
On Friday, April 14, 207, a federal judge heard arguments in the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order to withhold funding from communities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick heard the case on San Francisco’s request for a court order blocking the Trump administration from cutting off funds to any of the nation’s so-called sanctuary cities. After the hearing, Orrick said he’d issue a ruling “as soon as I can.”
If the Menlo Park City Council votes to enact the sanctuary city ordinance, which is modeled on San Francisco’s ordinance, Jen believes the next step is to take the measure to San Mateo County.
Note: On the website, there are resources for immigrants as well as for people interested in organizing materials to take to city councils in support of local immigrant communities.
Photo by Irene Searles
CK April 17, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Jen and others who are pushing this Sanctuary City crap are setting up for a revolt from the taxpayers. The taxpayers are going to pick up the slack from the lost federal funding. Gov Moonbeam and other city officials are going to feel that loss of revenue like we all felt the failed obummer care fines and increased medical premiums. Remember, there are many voters (legal) that did not vote for Killary, but did vote for President Trump. So, your progressive/liberal views for harboring fugitives is against the law, period! You maybe wearing a orange jump suit along with the likes of Susan Rice and Killary!!!
Gwyn Murray April 18, 2017 at 12:01 am
Hello “CK,” whoever you are:
I suggest that, before spewing vitriol, you check your facts.
First, Agent Orange’s own lawyer has admitted that the federal funds that may be withheld are minimal. See https://www.sfcityattorney.org/2017/04/14/faced-herrera-lawsuit-trump-lawyer-backs-sanctuary-cities/
Next, note that Calif0rnia actually may stand to MAKE MONEY if it stops paying the feds in response to feds not sending dollars to CA. See http://www.politifact.com/california/article/2017/feb/14/does-california-give-more-it-gets-dc/ and http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/california-federal-taxes-spending-trump
I suggest you get to know some immigrants (particularly from Latin America) and seek to understand why they left their home countries. I expect you will find that the stories are compelling and heartrending. Most of these families left to seek a better, safe life for their children and loved ones — and are working 2+ jobs (doing things the rest of us don’t want to do) to ensure that their children can go to school, get decent jobs, and have a better life. And, BTW, most of them pay taxes with little return. See https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/undocumented-immigrants-and-taxes/499604/
Finally, I suggest that you pay a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and remind yourself of how this country has been built: through immigration, often undocumented. Immigration is the American Way.
As Emma Lazarus put it:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Gwyn
CK April 18, 2017 at 10:21 am
Gwyn-
Who ever you are…..your quote “Give me your tired” was referring to those “LEGAL” immigrants that came here to better themselves and their families. They did not come to this country by sneaking across our sovereign boarder.
You have apparently forgot that a country without boarders is not a country! You have also forgot that the citizens of Texas who in 2015 had over 680,000 crimes committed by illegals against the citizens of Texas. California’s liberal government does not track those type of crimes thus there are no stats accordingly. What you are doing is making your bankrupt state unsafe by allowing the crime spree of the illegals to be covered up. Don’t forget the entitlements that the feds provide, you can kiss those goodbye. Can’t wait for Mr Sessions to place you and others like you in cuffs and orange jump suits……!!!
It is funny you sent an attachment of the SF City Attorney, SF being another failed Sanctuary city, do your recall Kate Steinle 31 who was brutally murdered on Pier 14 in the “Sanctuary” of San Francisco by Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, a ILLEGAL deported 5 times!! That is just one of the viscous crimes committed against American’s by illegals!
Apparently your spewing of false liberal talking points forgot about the many victims of your hands across the freeway mentality!
Gwyn Murray April 18, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Well, CK, since you cannot even spell, I don’t particularly assign any weight to your arguments, all the more since they are factually incorrect.
Suggest you take a trip to Ellis Island and go through the museum there to educate yourself.
And as far as illegal immigrants committing crimes, I am way more scared of white male gun nuts committing mass shootings than I am of people who are simply trying to achieve a better, safer life for themselves and their families.
CK April 20, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Gwyn…being a scholar like your self…using the words “way more” is very scary! I think you are scared of “male gun nuts” because you have what has become known as the Fauxcahontas mental disorder, brought on by the democrats that cannot except the fact that their candidate was and is a corrupt vile loser!
Oh and by the way….you most likely use the words “these ones” like the rest of snowflaked/crybullies of the progressive left!
Dianne Otterby April 18, 2017 at 6:08 am
Hats off to Jen and her efforts on behalf of all of us, but especially those in our community who need the safety of their city government. Jen and those supporting her are the heart and soul of Menlo Park.
L April 20, 2017 at 7:52 am
No to sanctuary cities!!!!!