Los Angeles County votes to boycott Arizona
Ariel Edwards Levy | 6-2-2010 | Comments |
| Print this Page
Los Angeles County will officially boycott Arizona because of its immigration laws, the Board of Supervisors decided in a contentious 3-to-2 decision Tuesday afternoon.“This is a motion that’s not just symbolic,” said Supervisor Gloria Molina, a co-sponser of the boycott. “It is really meant to send a very strong message that while we respect and certainly understand Arizona’s frustration, this law simply just goes too far.”
 Supporters of the boycott wait to speak |
Many cities and organizations are already boycotting Arizona, including the city of Los Angeles. But the decision of the county – the nation’s largest, with a budget bigger than the state of Arizona’s – could have a serious impact.
Under the motion, L.A. County will suspend travel to Arizona, attempt to divert all current investments or contracts with Arizona businesses, and not enter any further business. The county will also file a brief supporting those challenging the law.
With Molina and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky supporting the motion, and Supervisors Don Knabe and Mike Antonovich, who called the measure “stupid,” opposing it, the decision came down to Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who serves the district including South L.A.
In a statement released just before his vote, Ridley-Thomas called the economic boycott a “time honored [tactic] of nonviolent direction action.”
“For this reason, my viewpoint, which has been shaped in large part by my many years of reflection and action in support of civil rights, compels me to support this resolution in an effort to bring an end to what I believe to be an unjust law,” he said.
The vote sent off volleys of cheers and boos from the audience, where supporters and opponents sat separated by an aisle. More than 30 speakers signed up to speak on each side of the issue.
Hear from supporters of the boycott:
Hear from opponents of the boycott:
The motion created an unusual set of political rivals and allies.
Speakers on both sides of the issue cited their ethnic heritage as playing a part in their decisions.
Anton Farmby of the SEIU compared the Arizona law to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required freed slaves to carry papers. “This law in Arizona takes us back 150 years,” he said.
Immigrants’ rights groups joined forces with Sheriff Lee Baca in supporting the boycott. Baca said local law enforcement should not have to do a federal job, and that the law would make immigrants mistrustful of police. He added that there were economic reasons for the boycott as well.
“Our nation’s wealth and standard of living is envied by all nations of the world,” he said. “I cannot dismiss the contributions of those workers who have contributed greatly to my standard of living.”
A number of Asian American groups also spoke, trying to recast the issue as one that would affect not only Latinos, but other minority groups as well.
“Many see Arizona’s new law as targeting Latinos in particular, but fully 25 percent of the foreign-born population in the United States hails from Asia,” said Janelle Wong, a political science professor at USC who worried the measure would have a chilling effect on political participation. “Further, while the majority of Latinos are born in the United States, the majority of Asian Americans, are, in fact, foreign-born. This is not just a Latino issue.”
Armenian, Jewish, black and LGBT groups also spoke in support of the motion.
On the other side, inner-city residents joined staunch Republicans in opposing the boycott.
Several Latino speakers argued that racism was not at work.
“This boycott is going to hurt the people and businesses of Los Angeles County, and the very Latino and Hispanic community it alleges to help in Arizona,” said Errol Valladares, the chairman of the Santa Clarita Valley Republicans. “It is not Los Angeles County’s responsibility to meddle in or interpret Arizona law. This is not about race…This boycott is not going to change Arizona law. It is not the time to cut or hurt businesses or the people of Los Angeles County.”
Luis Alvarado, of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Greater Los Angeles, agreed, saying he feared the boycott would hurt Latino service workers in Arizona’s tourism industry.
Particularly heartfelt opposition to the proposal came from supporters and friends of Jamiel Shaw, a 17-year-old murdered by a gang member who was in the country illegally.
“Why don’t you boycott murder? Why don’t you boycott illegal aliens coming to our country and killing our kids?” his father, Jamiel Sr., asked, directing his statements toward Ridley-Thomas. “In the black community that helped him get elected, we are not for that.”
 Jamiel Shaw Sr. and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas |
Yaroslavsky, who co-sponsored the motion with Molina, said he respected people who opposed the boycott, but that he felt it was the best response to a law he called un-Constitutional.
He said he hoped the law would be overturned before any actions had to be taken. “I’ve signed onto this motion, but I hope we never have to implement it,” he said.
The L.A. Board of Education also voted Tuesday to condemn the Arizona law.
Tags: ariel edwards-levy arizona immigration bill immigration los angeles county