California court of appeal: Orange County Beach City Cannot Opt Out of California Sanctuary State Law

California is a self-declared “sanctuary” state.  However, not every city in the Golden State was inclined to be sanctuaries.  Yesterday,  the the California Fourth District Court of Appeal overturned an Orange County Superior Court judge’s ruling siding with Huntington Beach in its lawsuit challenging California’s so-called sanctuary state law. Huntington Beach officials argued the city did not have to abide by Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act (2017), because it is a charter city and the state constitution gives charter cities more authority to impose laws that may supersede state laws. The three-justice panel disagreed. The justices said the state law is constitutional “as applied to charter cities because it addresses matters of statewide concern, including public safety and health, effective policing and protection of constitutional rights,” Associate Justice Richard Fybel wrote in the opinion, with Justices Raymond Ikola and Thomas Goethals concurring.  The opinion is City of Huntington Beach v. Becerra.

KJ