L.A. City Council votes to ban travel and future contracts with Arizona because of tough new immigration law

The Los Angeles City Council, protesting Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigration, on Wednesday voted to ban most city travel to Arizona and future contracts with companies in that state.

During a morning-long debate on the resolution, council members compared Arizona’s action to Nazi Germany and the beginning of the Holocaust, as well as the internment and deportation of Japanese Americans during World War II. A new Arizona law, which will take effect July 23, will require police to determine whether people they stop are in the country illegally, which critics say will lead to racial profiling.

“Los Angeles the second-largest city in this country, an immigrant city, an international city. It needs to have its voice heard,’’ said Councilman Ed Reyes, one of the resolution’s sponsors.  “As an American, I cannot go to Arizona today without a passport. If I come across an officer who’s having a bad day and feels that the picture on my ID is not me, I can be … deported, no questions asked. That is not American.’’

The action was approved 13-1, with Councilman Greig Smith casting the sole dissenting vote.

The council’s action fell short of a total boycott or canceling all of the city’s $58 million worth of contracts with Arizona companies. Officials with the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport expressed concern about potential effects on those agencies. The council asked boards overseeing the port, airport and city utilities to review all contracts with ties to Arizona, however.

LAX receives $22 million in revenue from two Arizona-based airlines -- US Airways and Mesa Air. The port relies on three Arizona firms for new, low-emission big rigs, part of the city’s “clean truck’’ program that is expected to reduce truck-related pollution at the port by 80% by 2012.

-- Phil Willon in Los Angeles City Hall

Comments

[wallace]

Your own article next to this one shows overwhelming public support for the Arizona law, but you protest against it anyway.
Typical Liberals !!!
What a bunch of morons you are.

[Yu Efo]

So enforcing the existing immigration laws is akin to Nazi Germany and (gulp) "the beginning of the Holocaust." That is too funny. Please, give me a break. An outrageous assertion like that requires and attribution rather than a general "council members compared." This isn't serious journalism.

[Mimi Crisanti]

This vote will accomplish nothing. The other states that will adopt this law will support Arizona and probably boycott California. I'm not a financial expert but this would hurt California more than Arizona and the other states
supporting the law. This will devastate our economy even more.

[mike02]

shouldn't they be worrying about the budget instead of trying to bully AZ?

[BillN]

More grandstanding in city hall.
How cleaning our home, before we tell Arizonian's how to live their lives.

[Gary]

Our City Council is filled with a bunch of idiots.

[bigfoot]

The city of Los Angeles, an international city, a make life hard for small business city and a sancuary city for undocumented foriegn nationals needs to be heard huh ? How about a boycot of sancuary cities starting with Los Angeles.
Lets all go to Arizona and do our shopping there.

[no]

LA City Council doesn't speak for me, nor the vast majority of citizens in Los Angeles, and California. Prop 187 passed by over 60%. Bring it back now, and it passes for 75%.

THE PEOPLE OF LOS ANGELES SUPPORT THE ARIZONA LAW.

[Bruce Warner]

You have to be kidding. With all the problems at City Hall doesn't our Council have more important things to do?

We should vote everyone out who is wasting time on this.

[laurie]

This is ridiculous. I will continue to give as much of my business to Arizona as possible.

[ashya]

This is a sad day for Los Angeles I guess they will increase the highest sales tax in the country from 9.75% to 11% to cover the money we will ultimately lose. See how they where able to accomplish this but they cannot stop mismanaging our money, nor can they crackdown on employers that hire illegal immigrants, or deport the illegal immigrants that are over crowding our jail and prison systems. Arizona you have my support. Maybe more citizens should stop paying their state and fedral taxes until our elected officials secure our borders and start enforcing the state and federal laws.

[Ricky Bobby]

Well, I guess I will just have to boycott Los Angeles. Crap, I live here.

[jay vasquez]

Idiots!!! I am so mad! I hope Arizona boycotts Los Angeles, no the entire state of California! How dare they compare the Arizona law to Nazi Germany! I'm outrage. When will the elected politicians care about the legal residents of Los Angeles? When? All they pander to is the illegal alien crowd. I hope Arizona does not back down. The law is necessary to stop illegal aliens. I am Latino and I am all for the Arizona law. I will start my own boycott of Los Angeles! Unbeilivable!!!!

[swapss55]

I guess they will not be trying to import the electric power from the nuclear power plant near Phoenix, as they were a couple of years ago!
Good thing they do not need the coal to fire the power plant they had in Nv. anymore(Coal came from Navajo lands)
But what do you expect from a city that does not have "any illegals" to quote the mayor!

Glab I moved out of this tax hungry state that refuses to protect it's citizens/taxpayers!

[Chris Dobbs]

This is unbelievable really....political grandstanding for our constituency. With all the issues and problems that LA faces, why are we wasting our time with the Arizona problem. Wasn't the protest enough.
My goodness....our politicians certainly don't have priorities straight. It is an Arizona problem and a federal problem. California is not even taking care of its own issues, let alone Los Angeles. Maybe we should fix what is on our own plate first.

[blah]

the only thing thats gunna come out of the boycotts is a even more bankrupt california...notice to the only people that oposse it is illegals and the people who house them and the l.a mayor...which i assume is or was an illegal that gained citizenshipthe only reason villagosa became mayor is because l.a is overrun by illegals which somehow was allowed to vote

[Hmph]

That's smart...we're millions of dollars in the hole, so lets forgo getting Arizona's money when they've done the very thing that NEEDS to be done in Los Angeles.

Ed Reyes is a complete moron. Why didn't anyone call him out on his hyperbole and hysterical rhetoric? Why on earth would he need a passport to go to another U.S. State? How could he ever think an officer on a traffic stop has the power to deport him, an American citizen, "no questions asked"? Doesn't he understand that if you HAVE a driver's license or passport you don't need to worry about this law, and the point is to make those that AREN'T here legally worry?!?

Will the last legal citizen left in LA please turn off the lights?

[Disgusted]

So, the City Council takes it upon themselves to speak for its citizens and boycott Arizona, when polls clearly show that the majority of Americans favor the law? I guess these politicians clearly do not represent the will of the people. Big surprise there!

Critics of the law keep rattling off the same tired comments about "racial profiling", "un-Constitutional", and "racism". If they bothered to read the law, honestly look at the problems illegal immigration causes, and then possibly bring alternative fixes to the table then they might be credible. Until then, they prove themselves to be just as inept as this City Council continuously does. They just have an agenda to follow and the citizens and legal immigrants keep getting in their way.

[Ed Guthrie]

so the LA city counsel is against enforcing the law? I guess that's why their city is a Mexican ghetto cesspool. they need to be reminded who they were elected to represent(hint, they aren't the illegals).

[JD]

Silly California, if you are really willing to boycott Arizona be a man about it and actually boycott. Oh that's right! You can't power your pathetic, joke of a state on windpower alone, and a REAL boycott of Arizona would include the electricity you purchase, sending your state further into turmoil. Boycott's work two ways people, good thing your government doesn't see how it will affect you, enjoy the lost revenues from Arizona residents.

[Girb]

Total bull crud.

[JPs]

Boycotting AZ rather than Mexico? Ridiculous, immature, nonsense.
I can tell Villagolaraza is behind this, always defending illegals over citizens.

These LA officials are getting more and more out of touch with the people, who WANT enfiorcement, who WANT sb1070 right here in LA, but they'd rather whine when a neighbor does it good, rather than having guts to do it themselves like a man

[Lisa]

our city is on the verge of bankruptcy and this is all the city council can get worked up over ... I say Arizona should be understanding and advise the city council that they can't pick and chose what to boycott and that to keep them honest Arizona will longer fly into LAX and cut off all water coming into the state and or city .

[Travel Czar]

Good idea, stay home and fix the city budget.

[MRC]

I would except no less from the "pandering for the Latin vote city council.
Looks like we have to vote these worthless council members out of office. If the Los Angeles budget deficit is not enough, then this immigration vote should clinch their ouster out of office.