Photo: Councilman Steve Goble is the likely swing vote when the El Cajon City Council reconsiders an amended version of a controversial immigration measure on Feb. 11.
By Miriam Raftery
February 10, 2025 (El Cajon) - A controversial measure to allow El Cajon Police officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities is back on tomorrow’s agenda. The newly revised version includes changes from an earlier version that was voted down 3-2 after a five-hour hearing with emotional testimony on both sides. View revised draft.
The immigration matter is scheduled at the end of a 3 p.m. meeting tomorrow. However, there is an earlier 2 p.m. special meeting on unrelated issues. Activists on both sides have been advising the public to arrive early, since seats may fill up for the first meeting with people planning to stay for both meetings.
The original measure was introduced by Mayor Bill Wells and Councilman Phil Ortiz, who voted in favor. Councilmembers Gary Kendrick, Michelle Metschel and Steve Goble voted no, after several attempts at compromise measures failed. The newest reversion includes amended language proposed by Councilmember Goble.
A state law, SB 54, prohibits local police from turning over individuals to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless they have been convicted of certain serious felonies, such as murder or rape. California’s law was upheld on appeal and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing the law to stand. Yet the Trump administration has threatened to prosecute local officials if they don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, putting local cities in a difficult situation.
"Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands or requests," a Justice Dept. memo states, raising the possibility of charges for harboring immigrants without legal status or for failing to share information with immigration authorities, NPR reports.
The Justice Dept. is setting up a Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group to identify state and local policies or laws that are "inconsistent" with the Trump administration's enforcement efforts, and "where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws." Whether courts would continue to uphold California’s SB 54, or whether a conservative-leaning Supreme Court might overturn it, is unknown.
El Cajon’s latest revision to its proposed measure now states the city’s intent to “comply with federal immigration law to the legal extent permissible for the sole purpose of removing violent criminals from our community.”.
But the city’s language leaves room to cooperate on deportation of people merely accused, but not convicted, of crimes. It notes that the Trump administration says there are “over 647,000 non-detained individuals living in the United States illegally who have pending charges or have been convicted of or charged with violent crimes, including robbery, assault, sexual assault, homicide, and and human trafficking.”
That raises serious concerns about the prospect for innocent people to be deported without a trial. There are many examples of individuals falsely accused of crimes and later proven innocent, such as when DNA tests prove another person committed the crime, or bystander videos emerge to disprove charges. A prime example occurred in La Mesa in 2020, when a police officer accused a young man at a trolley stop of assaulting the officer. A bystander’s video proved that the assault did not occur; the officer was fired for filing a false report, but his actions triggered a riot and accusations of racial profiling.
ECM spoke with Councilman Steve Goble, the likely swing vote on El Cajon’s immigration issue. He proposed another amendment included in the revised draft.
“If you want police officers to work for ICE under SB 54 which is not allowed, and then the feds and the state are at such odds with each other, I want indemnification for our officers, in case anybody comes after their credentials because they are licensed by the state,” Goble told ECM.
His amendment states ,”The City will seek assistance from the United States Attorney General’s office to indemnify the City and its employees for any assistance or
cooperation with federal immigration authorities as permitted by law.” The city also faces potential enforcement actions from the state, however, since Attorney General Rob Bonta has indicated he will hold cities accountable if they violate SB 54.
The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that any powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people. Goble notes. California’s SB 54 does not stop the federal authorities from doing their work, he points out, adding that the state doesn’t want to assist in those efforts. (SB 54 does allow cities to turn over undocumented immigrants to ICE if they have been convicted of serious felonies.)
Mayor Wells, who has announced his intent to seek reelection in 2026 and also run for supervisor in 2028, has said his goal is to protect public safety. On X, he recently posted, “I’m bringing back a resolution to support our law enforcement officers working with ICE to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our communities. We all want safer neighborhoods, and I will continue fighting to protect our families from those who break our laws and threaten our safety. Law enforcement must have every tool available to uphold the law and keep criminals off our streets.”
Goble states, “What Bill is saying aspirationally is if we know there is a convicted criminal living in El Cajon illegally, we want the option of contacting ICE.” That might include, for example, a parolee who served time for a serious felony but was not handed over to ICE elsewhere.
However, Goble indicated he has concerns about deporting people who have merely been accused, but not convicted of serious crimes, suggesting he might be open to an amendment limiting ECPD cooperation only to undocumented immigrations who have been convicted in court.
Goble spoke of a San Diego Police officer’s search for an accused serial rapist, who turned out to be in a Border Patrol vehicle, so Border Patrol handed him over to the police instead of deporting him immediately. In Goble’s view, that was the right decision.
“The reason is that it’s better to go through the justice system and be deported as convicted criminal,” Goble explained, noting that if merely deported without a criminal conviction, the suspect could potentially reenter the U.S. again and again.
There is also the potential for the Trump administration to order deportation of any undocumented immigrant, even those living in the U.S. for decades without committing crimes here, since some Trump administration officials including White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt have said they consider everyone who crossed the border illegally to be criminals. Trump, on the campaign trail, frequently spoke of wanting to deport all undocumented immigrants, an estimated 11 million people.Trump has also revoked special protection status for some legal immigrants, including Afghan translators who helped our military.
If a future court were to overturn SB 54, does El Cajon wants its police officers cooperating if the “crime” was merely crossing the border, or overstaying a legal protected status order later revoked, as in the case of Afghans who helped our military?
The Mayor's immigration measure has sparked heated public debate, wtih over 80 people speaking out at the last Council meeting. Elected officials on both sides are facing serious threats, including death threats against a councilmember who voted against the resolution and a recall effort gearing up against at least one Councilmember who voted for the resolution, ECM has learned.
Latinos en Acción has announced a press conference at noon tomorrow in front of City Council chambers at 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, in opposition to the resolution, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. A flyer announcing the event states that California law already allows police to transfer violent criminals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and expanding local police cooperation would mostly affect non-violent offenders and could lead to racial profiling.
At an earlier hearing on this issue, Violet Lombera with Latinos en Accion testified that moving to El Cajon from Brawley, she was stopped by police in what she views as “racial profiling. I don’t want that to happen again...Doing this is really going to separate and divide us. It’s going to attack my community, Mexican Americans...I’ve been attacked. I’ve been segregated. I’ve been racially profiled. You guys need to reconsider this,” she said, voicing fears of people being stopped and asked for proof of citizenship. ”To do this is really going to hurt everybody in our community.”
While backers of the resolution have voiced concerns over the city being caught in the legal crosshairs between conflicting state and federal laws, El Cajon could also face lawsuits from immigrant rights’ groups over its immigrant policies.
Salvador Salmiento with the National Day Labor Network told the Council on January 14, “Our organization has litigated a bunch of these policies over the years,” adding that he has over the years repeatedly seen ICE detainers issued without probable cause. If immigrants suffer actual damages due to actions of the City Council or its officers, he warned, ”We will sue.”
He added that in lawsuits filed by the organization elsewhere over immigration issues, , “ICE doesn’t pay. The city pays,"adding, "El Cajon can be a better example than this.”
View ECM’s prior coverage:
East County News Service
February 9, 2025 (Julian) – The proposed supervised placement of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely at a home on Wynola Road in Julian has been cancelled, CBS 8 reports, after the homeowner withdrew the property from consideration.
The homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBS 8 that she never gave approval to Liberty Healthcare, after the company told her they were seeking placement for either “witness protection or a violent criminal.” The owner also stated that Liberty offered substantially more than market rent, but added, “I was most likely not going to go through with it.”
She indicated that she never gave final approval and was surprised to learn a court had approved the placement without her permission.
She added, "I don't want to put the community at risk, so I apologize, it's been canceled."
The CBS story indicates the media outlet reached out to Liberty Healthcare for comment, but the company did not reply.
Snavely was convicted of molesting two girls ages 8 and 9 in Orange County back in 1987. In 1996 he was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in San Diego County and went back to prison.
After his release, he was placed in Jacumba in 2008 but after he abused his psychotropic medication and lied to his supervising staff he went back to Coalinga state hospital, though he was not accused of committing new crimes. Violations included failing to remain appropriately clothed at all times on his property while in public view, and failing to report any and all instances of sexual thoughts and fantasies involving sexual deviance to treatment staff.
A March 7 hearing on Snavely’s proposed placement in Julian was scheduled, but will likely be postponed.
Liberty Healthcare must now find an alternative location for Snavely's placement.
East County News Service
February 9, 2025 (Jamul) -- The Jamul-Dulzura Planning Group is seeking funds from San Diego County’s Department of Public Works to develop a community park in Jamul. While exploring potential locations for the park, the Planning Group has launched a survey asking community members what features they would like to see in the new community park.
“As we explore potential locations for this park, we want to ensure it meets the needs and desires of our community,” an email from the planning group states. To take the survey, click here.
East County News Service
Photo: one of the ideas for the new logo
February 9, 2025 (Jamul) - The Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group (JDCPG) is seeking creative minds to design its new logo, offering local artists and designers a chance to leave their mark on this vital East County organization.
The planning group, which serves as a crucial advisory body for San Diego County on matters affecting the rural communities of Jamul and Dulzura, aims to establish a visual identity that captures the area's unique character and natural beauty.
Interested participants should submit their designs in JPEG or PDF format to [jdcpglogo@gmail.com](mailto:jdcpglogo@gmail.com), including their full name and age with their submission. The winning entry will be selected by the end of March, with the chosen design set to become the official emblem of the JDCPG.
"We're looking for a logo that represents our community's values and rural heritage," said Eve Nasby, highlighting the opportunity for local talent to shape the group's public image.
East County News Service
February 9, 2025 (Oakland, CA) – Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Trump administration from carrying out a spending freeze. “Each day that the pause continues to ripple across the country is an additional day that Americans are being denied access to programs that heal them, house them, and feed them,” Judge Loren AliKhan wrote in the ruling.
Now California Attorney General is accusing the Trump administration of defying the judge’s order and continuing to block funds to states under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA and the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure act). Bonta on Feb. 7 filed a motion on behalf of 23 state attorneys general. The motion asks the court to enforce the earlier ruling and and to order Defendants to immediately restore funds until the preliminary injunction motion can be heard and decided.
The coalition seeks to preliminarily enjoin the Trump Administration’s funding freeze, emphasizing the widespread and irreparable harm to states, which rely on billions of dollars of critical federal assistance for public services that ensure access to education, clean air and water, and health care and that support essential infrastructure projects. More than $100 billion in Medicaid funding, tens of billions in infrastructure and climate funding, among the funding at risk in just California, according to a press release issued by Bonta.
The case, NY v.Trump, challenges actions by President Trump, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and federal agencies attempting to pause nearly $3 trillion in federal assistance funding allocated to the states that support critical programs and services that benefit the American people.
The Trump administration has argued that the injunction doesn’t apply to IRA and IIJA funds, the motion indicates. But the judge’s order makes no mention of any such exception.
Bonta’s motion further highlights the harm states face without these funds .
“Let’s be crystal clear: the power of the purse belongs to Congress, not the President,” said Bonta. “The Trump Administration’s dangerous and unconstitutional actions have created chaos and confusion across this country, and caused significant harm to states across the country and the millions of Americans who rely on federal funding, from children to the elderly. In yet another unlawful move, we have evidence that despite the Temporary Restraining Order we secured, the Trump Administration has continued to block funds needed for our domestic energy security, transportation, and infrastructure provided under the IRA and IIJA.”
He added, ”We’re asking the court to enforce its order and ensure that the Trump Administration reinstates access to this critical funding. No one is above the law, and at the California Department of Justice, we will not waver in our commitment to uphold the law and ensure that necessary funding for critical programs and services in states across our country can continue.”
In just this fiscal year, California is expected to receive $168 billion in federal funds – 34% of the state’s budget – not including funding for the state’s public college and university system. This includes $107.5 billion in funding for California’s Medicaid programs, which serve approximately 14.5 million Californians, including 5 million children and 2.3 million seniors and people with disabilities. Additionally, over 9,000 full-time equivalent state employee positions are federally funded. As detailed in the preliminary injunction motion, without access to federal financial assistance, many states could face immediate cash shortfalls, making it difficult to administer basic programs like funding for healthcare and food for children and to address their most pressing needs.
Additionally, as of January 2025, California has been awarded $63 billion from the IIJA and nearly $5 billion from the IRA, not including funds going to California cities, air and water districts, or other political subdivisions. Due to ongoing disruptions impacting disbursements to states despite the court’s TRO, efforts that bolster clean energy investments, transportation, and infrastructure have been put at risk, including:
- The Home Electrification and Appliances Rebates Program, for which the IRA appropriates $4.5 billion to the Department of Energy. The rebate program, administered by state energy offices under final federal grants, subsidizes low- and moderate-income households’ purchase and installation of electric heat pump water heaters, electric heat pump space heating and cooling systems, and other home electrification projects. Thousands of California homeowners have signed up for these programs, received approvals, and even started installation in reliance on these rebates, and are stuck paying their contractors an extra $8,000 if our state energy offices cannot draw down funds. As of February 5, that remained the case: the home rebate grants were being held “for agency review.”
- The Solar for All program, administered by EPA and funded by the IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, awarded $7 billion to 60 grantees to install rooftop and community solar energy projects in low-income and disadvantaged communities. These awards—all subject to final grant agreements—support the construction of cheap, resilient power in underserved neighborhoods, and provide particular protection to communities in which wildfire risk regularly causes utilities to de-energize transmission lines. As of February 5, numerous states in the coalition were unable to access their Solar For All grant accounts.
- The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, administered by EPA and funded by a $5 billion IRA appropriation, supports states, tribes, and local governments in planning and implementing greenhouse-gas reduction measures. For example, the regional air district covering Los Angeles received a $500 million award, subject to a final grant agreement, to clean up the highly polluting goods movement corridor between the Imperial Valley's logistics hubs and warehouses to the Port of Los Angeles. As of February 5, this grant and other Climate Pollution Reduction Grants remained inaccessible.
- The national air monitoring network and research program under Clean Air Act sections 103 to 105, which has been administered by EPA for the last sixty years to protect communities from dangerous pollution. The IRA appropriated $117.5 million to fund air monitoring grants under this program to increase states’ abilities to detect dangerous pollution like particulate matter (soot) and air toxics, especially in disadvantaged communities. These pollutants create a particular public health emergency in areas recovering from wildfires. As of February 5, air monitoring grants remained inaccessible.
Attorney General Bonta, along with the attorneys general of New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Illinois, led the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin in filing the motions.
The motion to enforce and motion for a preliminary injunction are available here
East County News Service
February 7, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – Hillsdale Middle School on Brabham Street in Rancho San Diego was placed on lockdown for about 15 minutes due to a call reporting a man with what appeared to be a gun in front the school shortly before 3:30 p.m. yesterday.
Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station were given a description of the man as they drove to the school. Out of an abundance of caution, deputies requested the school to be placed on lockdown.
Once they arrived at Hillsdale Middle School, located in unincorporated El Cajon, deputies found a man fitting the description outside of campus and detained him for questioning.
“The man, 46, from La Mesa, was found in possession of a non-lethal handgun powered by carbon dioxide (CO2),” says Sgt. Manuel Heredia. After an investigation, it was determined the man had not committed a crime and he was released on scene. The lockdown at the school was lifted after about 15 minutes. No one was hurt.
Deputies continued to work with school staff and Campus Safety Officers from the Cajon Valley Union School District, who have had previous negative encounters with the man.
As a result of these incidents, deputies were able to obtain an emergency temporary protective order against the man, so he cannot come near the school.
As a precaution, Sheriff's Deputies will be conducting extra patrols at Hillsdale Middle School on Friday, February 7.
If you see something, say something. Report any criminal or suspicious activity by calling the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200. In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.
East County News Service
February 6, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) -- Today, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 286, which will close what he calls a “dangerous loophole” in California’s Elderly Parole program that allows violent sex offenders and murderers as young as age 50 to be released early. Click here to read the bill’s fact sheet.
“Releasing violent rapists under the so-called ‘elderly parole’ is not only an insult to victims but a grave danger to Californians,” Jones states in a press release.. “Survivors of violent sex crimes and the families of murder victims should never have to live in fear that their attacker could walk free long before serving their full sentence. But under current law, the system is rigged in favor of criminals, forcing the Board of Parole Hearings to justify why these offenders shouldn’t be released. That’s completely backward. The law should protect law-abiding Californians, not violent criminals.”
The current Elderly Parole program was expanded through a last-minute amendment to a budget bill, Assembly Bill 3234 (Ting – 2020), which lowered the age threshold for elderly parole from 60 years of age to 50 years of age during the COVID-19 pandemic. Violent sex offenders can be eligible for elderly parole after serving only 20 years, under AB 3234. Despite its major societal and fiscal impacts, AB 3234 was rushed through the process without a single Senate policy committee hearing, according to Jones.
“Proponents of AB 3234 vowed that sex offenders and rapists would not be eligible for Elderly Parole, but ‘accidentally’ left out that key protection—and have refused to fix their mistake,” Jones says.”SB 286 will finally correct this dangerous loophole, ensuring that rapists, child molesters, and murderers serve their full terms—no matter their age.”
Since its passage, multiple child molesters have become eligible for Elderly Parole, forcing victims and their families to fight to keep their perpetrators behind bars.
SB 286 is the second attempt by Jones to close this loophole for rapists in the Elderly Parole program. His previous bill, SB 445 (2021), was blocked by Senate Democrats in the Public Safety Committee on a party-line vote.
SB 286 is supported by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephen. The measure is awaiting assignment to a Senate policy committee for a hearing.
By Mike Allen
Photo: construction at night for Advanced Water Purification program
February 6, 2025 (Santee) -- East County’s biggest infrastructure project, Advanced Water Purification, is officially costing more than $1 billion after the Joint Powers Authority that oversees it approved about $80 million in changes to its construction contract.
AWP, planned since 2015 to provide water reliability to the region, was initially estimated to cost about $500 million to build, but by 2021, its former CEO Alan Carlisle told the Santee City Council the new estimate for the program was “north of $600 million.”
Now the cost for construction packages 1 through 4 is more than twice the original estimate. And that’s not counting the cost for package 5, which hasn’t been disclosed because it’s still in the planning stages. However, documents on AWP’s website show an estimate between $100 million and $200 million for a system that converts waste to energy to power the new facility under construction at the end of Fanita Parkway in Santee.
The AWP’s hefty cost is being borne by four partner agencies: Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the city of El Cajon, San Diego County, and Helix Water District.
At the JPA’s November meeting when the amended contract was approved, board president Steve Goble noted the $80 million increase to package 4 was significantly above an original estimate for this phase of $100 million, and asked the reasons behind it. “The public would say that’s a big increase, an 80 percent increase,” he said.
Photo, right: work on Advanced Water Purification near State Route 52
Rebecca Abbott, the project’s chief engineer, said, “It really boils down to project complexity…it’s what we know now versus what we knew then.”
Melissa McChesney, spokeswoman for Padre Dam WD, said in an email to East County Magazine the key reasons behind the increased costs for package 4 are the complexity of inserting two smaller sewer pipelines into an existing pipe; minimizing construction impacts which extended the construction time from 18 months to 34 months; and the increased costs for labor, materials and equipment rentals.
Among the more expensive elements is a requirement for a force pipeline connecting to the AWP facility to be operating through heavy rain events during construction and providing enhanced protection to Mission Trails Regional Park. Both added about $12 million to the bill. A Caltrans mandate to tunnel beneath State Route 52 added another $10 million, she said.
The good news for the participating agencies and their rate payers is that the city of San Diego is on the hook for most of the increased cost. The JPA’s share is about 39 percent, while the city assumes 61 percent of the residuals line cost, according to JPA documents. That share boosts the cost for the AWP by about $70 million, bringing the revised total for the project to about $1.02 billion, compared to the previous official estimate of $950 million.
All this work is being coordinated with the city as it moves ahead with its own water reclamation system called Pure Water, which will cost about $1.5 billion for Phase I, including the planning, design and construction. Construction on Phase I is over 70% complete. The city hasn’t revealed what the construction cost is.
Water agencies in Southern California have been building these expensive systems in the last several decades as the cost of imported water from Northern California skyrockets, but at least one longtime elected water official says the area doesn’t need it.
“I voted against (AWP) because there’s ample water in the area,” said Dan McMillan, who is a member of Helix Water District’s board and the San Diego County Water Authority.
Reacting to the higher costs, more customers have cut way back on their water use, resulting in surplus supply in much of the San Diego area, McMillan says. But all the water agencies need to maintain their systems, and the cost for doing that is always increasing so that results in water agencies hiking their fees.
While Helix is not a full-fledged partner agency in the JPA, the La Mesa-based Helix district is committed to purchasing about 30 percent of its water from the AWP, and a big part of the last phase of AWP’s purification process takes place at Helix’s Lake Jennings and the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant.
Goble, who also serves on the El Cajon City Council, said once AWP begins operating the cost for sewage removal now provided by San Diego’s Metro Wastewater should decrease. Under the current system, the JPA’s members “are essentially at Metro's mercy what rates will be charged, and Metro can include whatever costs it deems appropriate,” he said.
Goble said AWP’s water costs will be competitive with imported water now charged by the San Diego County Water Authority, while the sewage removal costs will be competitive with the current rates for sending wastewater to the Metropolitan Wastewater system. “The (AWP) program is a smart investment and will cost less than doing nothing,” he said.
While the AWP additional costs are concerning, Goble and other JPA directors said their concerns were allayed by the negotiated “guaranteed maximum price” for the construction contract that protects the agency and puts the risk for future overruns on the contractor, Orion Construction.
AWP officials often cite the project’s strong financials and its success in securing about $833 million in low interest loans and grants. The grants portion comes to $162 million. The program continues to apply for grants and has one pending at the state for its package 5 project, a waste to energy system.
Water officials who pushed for the AWP insist the ongoing cost of importing water from the northern part of the state makes creating a reliable, local supply a no-brainer. Along with higher costs for importing water are the increased costs from the city of San Diego to treat the sewage.
The plan is to take the 15 million gallons of sewage generated in the region daily that’s now sent to Metro Wastewater and convert it to some 11.5 million gallons of drinkable water for the region of more than 100,00 residents.
If the JPA doesn’t complete the AWP the Padre Dam WD will continue to rely on the San Diego County Water Authority to obtain all of its water, says PDWD Director Suzanne Till. For the 2023 fiscal year, the CWA raised the rates it charges its member agencies by 23.5 percent, but for the 2024-26 period that increase will be 39 percent, Till said in an email.
“Padre Dam can no longer be so dependent on SDCWA,” she said.
The big hike in AWP’s cost won’t affect the timetable for completion, McChesney said. The project is on schedule to be completed by the fall of this year. Following an extensive testing period, it will begin delivering water to users by late 2026, she said.
Correction: An earlier version of this draft indicated that Phase I costs cover planning and design. Phase I also includes construction.
Updated February 7, 2025 with statement from the Council on Islamic Relations in San Diego.
By Miriam Raftery
February 6, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Many world leaders as well as Congressional leaders in both parties are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s call for the U.S. to “takeover” Gaza, relocate Palestinians to neighboring nations and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump initially spoke of a permanent resettlement, with the U.S. taking ownership. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio later walked that back, indicating relocation of Palestinians would only be temporary during debris removal and new construction. “In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he stated, AP reports.
Trump insisted,”Everyone loves my Gaza idea,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
But with the exception of some Israeli leaders, reactions around the world have overwhelmingly rejected the concept. Here are their statements:
”He (Trump) has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. according to AP. The leaders caution that Trump’s plan would “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples” and undermine long-term efforts to attain a two-state solution.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres reportedly told Trump to “stay true to the bedrock of international law,” avoiding making the problem worse by removing Palestinians from their homeland, according to Reuters.
Forcibly removing people from their homeland violates the Geneva Convention under international law, the Washington Post reports.
Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Palestine-Israel Program at the Arab Center Washington D.C, had this reaction to the proposal, the New York Times reports: “Outrageous, criminal, harebrained.” He noted that the idea of forcing Palestinians from their homes brings up a troubling history. “The region has suffered for decades from instability and conflict precisely because of the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948,” he added.
Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for Hamas ,told called the proposal “ridiculous and absurd.” He told Reuters, “Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region.” Hamas’ attack that killed over1,300 Israeli civilians and seized hostages sparked the war in Gaza, prompting Israel’s massive retaliation which has killed an estimated 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Moscow maintains the only way to resolve the Middle East conflict is through the creation of a Palestinian state to exist side-by-side with Israel, Reuters reports. "This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option," the Russian spokesman said.
Many Palestinians have voiced fear that if relocated, they may not be allowed to return home—and some expressed anger over the proposal.
“Trump can go to hell with his ideas, his money, and with his beliefs. We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets.” -Samir Abu Basel, father of five in Gaza City displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned President Trump for stating the "U.S. Will take over the Gaza Strip" and "own it." In addition CAIR San Diego reaffirms its commitment to Palestinian self-determination and condemned Trump’s assertion that the U.S. will “take over Gaza.”
Community Organizer Summer Ismail issued a statement urging the American public to recognize the role of U.S. tax dollars and military support in the continued suffering of Palestinians even amid a cease-fire. “The idea that the U.S. should take control of Gaza is a reckless and blatant endorsement of illegal occupation in violation of international law. The Palestinian people have a right to self-determination. Attempts to impose foreign control will only perpetuate oppression and violence," Ismail states, also calling on the state department to comply with international law. "We need a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank. Only then can we rebuild and restore Palestinian sovereignty."
San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, had this to say in a post on X. “No one wants another indefinite U.S. military occupation in the Middle East or anywhere else. This is ethnic cleansing – and this is Palestinian land, not ours. The best path for long-term peace and security is a two-state solution.”
Even some Trump supporters are strongly opposing the idea.
“I thought we voted for America first. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers’ blood,” Republican Senator Rand Paul posted on X.
Arab Americans for Trump has announced it has changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace following Trump’s call for the U.S. to takeover Gaza. “Obviously we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in historic Palestine,” the group’s chairman Bishara Bahbah stated, AP reports.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he is keeping an “open mind” on the idea, but voiced concerns about the potential for U.S. troops to be sent to Gaza, which he noted “would be a tough place to be stationed as an American,” according to Politico.
There is some precedent for a major U.S. intervention after a conflict, notably the Marshall plan to rebuild Japan after World War II, despite the fact that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and fought on the Axis side against the Allied forces. But the U.S. is not a direct party in the Israeli-Gaza conflict, though the U.S. has sent arms to Israel.
Rebuilding Gaza is expected take many years, given the vast toll of devastation. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that Trump was not committing U.S. troops and didn't plan to use taxpayer dollars to rebuild Gaza, Axios reports.
Without support from Arab nations, the United Nations, or the Palestinian people, and with no U.S. troops to keep the peace nor American funding to clear debris and rebuild, it appears implausible that Trump could achieve a peaceful relocation of Palestinians, let alone muster the massive international resources needed to make Gaza safe and stable.
Update: An earlier version of this article contained information added by our editor stating that the vote violated California's Brown Act. The City has disputed this and indicated that a public vote was held. Our earlier report was based on a text from a Councilmember indicating that the vote was "anonymous" after ECM's editor asked whether the vote was unanimous. An anonymous vote during a public meeting would be illegal. Please see correction note below this article for full details.
By Jessica Brodkin Webb
Miriam Raftery contributed to this report.
February 5, 2025 (Lemon Grove) –Lemon Grove’s City Council last night appointed Yadira Altamirano to fill the seat left vacant after Allyson Snow was elected as Mayor in 2024. She was previously appointed to finish City Council Member Matt Mendoza’s term from late 2019 through December 2020.
To members on the dais, Altamirano recalled her arrival in Lemon Grove as a young child who did not speak English but felt safe walking to and from school, playing in neighborhood parks and navigating city streets.
Since then, the businesswoman said, she grew to appreciate where she was raised and chose to come back and raise her own children in the small city.
“My desire is to make an impact and make Lemon Grove as I remember it when I was little,” Altamirano said.
Answering questions posed by Snow and city council members, Altamirano said her top focus points would be improved safety, infrastructure projects and city repairs.
“Our youth are our future,” Altamirano said, and emphasized her desire to clean up the city is rooted in wanting to restore the Lemon Grove she remembers from her own youth. Her application indicated her goals include reopening the city’s rec center.
She also said she wants to see time dedicated to community service projects, and suggested residential buildings could be cleaned up to illustrate a sense of pride in Lemon Grove.
When Council members asked about her experience, she suggested she might be a wiser choice than other candidates, as this will be her second go-round on the dais.
Her first time on the Council coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many operations including City Council meetings were handled remotely. She did not address how that experience would inform her ability to affect change under current, post-pandemic practices.
When pressed for suggestions on what she might do to enhance the city, she cited La Mesa’s car show and farmers market as examples of events which bring the community together, but reiterated the city’s need to clean up its appearance so events are attractive to residents. On her application, she mentioned bringing back the Old Times Parade as a goal.
Altamirano landed this second appointment to City Council over candidates Kenneth Davies, Robert Holaday, Cody Littleton, Oyuki Littleton, Minola Manson, Robert Rael, Seth Smith and James Stout. Jay Bass withdrew his application before last night’s Council meeting, which included interviews with all applicants.
After the interviews, Councilmembers were asked to place marks next to up to three candidates whom they would be willing to have serve on the Council. Altimirano received three votes, the most of any applicant. A subsequent vote was held publicly, with a motion and second, according to the Mayor, with Altimirano receiving a unanimous vote of all four Councilmembers.
The next Lemon Grove City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Lemon Grove Community Center.
Correction: An earlier version of the article indicated that the vote was held anonymously, which would violate California’s Brown Act prohibiting secret votes on any agendized item in a public meeting. The Brown Act information was added to our reporter's original article draft, due to a text from a Councilmember to our editor stating that the vote was “anonymous” and that each councilmember could vote for “up to three.” This text was in response to our editor's text asking who voted for or against the appointment, which was not in our reporter’s draft. The Councilmember’s text also included a photo of the vote tally for each applicant, without any Councilmembers identified on the vote tally. That tally showed three votes for Yadira Altamira.
Mayor Snow and a city legal representative have both since advised that a second vote was held in public and seconded (after the initial tally), and that this vote was public and unanimous, with all four Councilmembers supporting Altamirano's appointment.
Lemon Grove does not videotape its Council meetings, unlike all other East County cities, nor are email addresses for staff listed on the city’s webpage, making it difficult to verify information or obtain answers to question in a timely manner after a meeting. In this case, ECM sought information from the only city representative we had contact for after hours, since our editor wanted to post the news about Altamirano's appointment before leaving town for three days. ECM regrets the error.