City Attorney Confirms: Legal To Appoint Illegal Immigrants To Adivsory Boards
[guest post by Dana]
In a brazen move, a city in Southern California will be the first in the state to name two illegal immigrants as commissioners:
Huntington Park may become the first city in California to appoint two undocumented immigrants as commissioners on city advisory boards, a lawmaker confirms.
City Councilman Jhonny Pineda has picked Francisco Medina to join the health and education commission and Julian Zatarain for the parks and recreation commission.
The 32-year-old lawmaker told CBSLA online producer Deborah Meron that he promised voters while running for office that he would create more opportunities for undocumented residents.
“Huntington Park is a city of opportunity and a city of hope for all individuals regardless of socioeconomic status, race, creed, or in this case, citizenship,” the councilman said in a statement. “Both these gentlemen have accomplished a great deal for the city. For that, on behalf of the city council, mayor, and our city, I want to say thank you to them both and I am confident they will do an excellent job on their commission posts.”
Pineda, ever mindful of following the law, sought confirmation from the city attorney that the appointments were permissible. He was assured that “[t]here’s nothing that requires a commissioner to be a registered voter, a documented citizen or even a resident, which technically means someone here without legal residency can serve.”
And from another official equally concerned with following the law, former Huntington Park mayor, Ric Loya, commented:
“Everybody can be involved in government, as long as it’s done legally,” he said.
And they don’t even bat an eye.
–Dana