A vow to allow local police to assist in federal immigration enforcement. A resolution defining antisemitism. A vote to oppose a state bill that would restrict justifiable homicides during home invasions.
What does all that have to do with running a city of about 103,000 people?
Some El Cajon residents have asked that question of their own City Council after recent votes on a number of issues they saw as beyond the scope of a body that more commonly decides on street repairs and zoning restrictions.
“I was surprised to see yet another resolution that is not the purview of local government,” El Cajon resident Stephanie Cauchon said Tuesday as council discussed a state bill that would limit the use of deadly force to defend one’s home. “We have elected officials at the state level for handling this stuff. I just want to know if it’s just going to be every week that there’s going to be another bill that’s beyond the purview of the City Council?”
While the council’s attention to broader issues has been especially noticeable recently, they are not unique.
“We call this the nationalization of local politics,” said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science and department chair at UC San Diego. “Local politics are more and more driven by people’s positions on national politics and the party they vote for.”
Kousser said elected boards sometimes rightly take a stand on legislation because it can have an effect on their cities or counties, and sometimes they adopt resolutions purely for symbolic reasons as a nod to their constituents.
“For instance, in 2008 in the city of San Francisco, voters voted on a proposition to rename their sewage treatment plant after President George W. Bush,” he said about a failed proposition. “Sometimes, they try to take a stand on an issue of international concern. For instance, in Oakland in 2023, the city council ed an ordinance calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
While some people may question why their city councils are taking stands on national or international issues, others may demand it of them.
A vocal group of residents regularly attended Oceanside City Council meetings in recent months to ask for a resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire. ers of a Gaza ceasefire also interrupted San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s State of the City address this year.
In examples at the county level, former Supervisor Kristin Gaspar represented North County but ed a wall at the border and met with President Donald Trump in 2019. The current Board of Supervisors also has taken stands on large issues, such as voting to codify abortion rights in the California Constitution.
In its latest action addressing broader issues, the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday voted against the state bill that would change rules about justifiable homicide and unanimously adopted a resolution defining antisemitism and promoting nondiscrimination of all residents.
The discussion about antisemitism inspired ionate comments from the public over two meetings, with ers saying the resolution was desperately needed because of growing violence and discrimination against Jewish people and opponents saying the action could be used to stifle and harass critics of Israel and ers of Palestinians.
Councilmember Michelle Metschel cast the only vote opposing the resolution when it was first discussed March 11, but later ed it when it returned with additional language promoting anti-discrimination policies and practices for all residents, including minority groups, refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers.
Noting that the issue was creating controversy among residents, Metschel questioned why Mayor Bill Wells had brought it before the council at the March 11 meeting.
“Since when do we need to respond and write resolutions, letters, ordinances to federal issues?” she said.
Metschel also accused Wells of introducing the issue as a political stunt.
“This is another resolution to bring up more chaos and to bring up more dissension,” she said.
Metschel raised similar concerns when she voted against the council’s decision in February to a resolution for the city to comply with the enforcement of federal immigration law.
During the council’s recent discussion about an antisemitism resolution, one resident questioned why they were considering something he considered outside the council’s purview.
“I’m disappointed to see how hasty and very quickly we’re moving on a proposal that exceeds the scope of a local city council,” said El Cajon resident Jose Cortez, who accused Wells and Councilmember Gary Kendrick of “trying to capitalize on an international crisis” for political reasons.
Wells unsuccessfully ran for California’s 51st Congressional District last year and has spoken about immigration and homelessness on Fox News, and he has been accused of bringing up national issue for political gain.
He denied the accusation at Tuesday’s meeting, and said his motivation is a sincere attempt to do what he can to help people.
“Because I’ve heard for the past several weeks now that I’m a career politician who cares about nothing other than moving forward in my political career, I just want to tell you whether you believe it or not where I come from,” he said.
Wells continued by saying he had a life-long comion for the Jewish people and what they had endured, and he was motivated to speak out against antisemitism after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“At that moment, I knew that whatever I had to do, I had to stop this kind of barbarity and do whatever I could do, which is ittedly not a lot, since being the mayor of El Cajon doesn’t give me a lot of opportunity for that,” he said.
On Tuesday, the council weighed in on proposed state legislation by voting to oppose Assembly Bill 1333. Assemblyman Rick Zbur (D-Los Angeles) introduced the bill that he said would close loopholes about justifiable homicide when defending a home, such as in cases when a person knew deadly force could have been avoided.
City Manager Graham Mitchell defended the recommendation drafted by Assistant City Manager Vince DiMaggio to oppose the bill.
“Mr. DiMaggio and I are nonpartisan,” he said. “We don’t have an R or D behind our names. It is our responsibility to bring forward analysis of legislation, and it’s typically bad legislation.”
Kendrick also defended the action on a state issue by saying it does affect El Cajon because the city has many single mothers who may need to defend themselves against intruders. Councilmember Steve Goble added that it was within the purview of the city because a primary function of local government is to ensure public safety.
Kousser said elected officials in cities and counties may take stands on issues they don’t have authority over as a sign that they are aligned with the values of their constituents.
“We’re seeing more cities run towards the lightning rods, the divided national politics, because that mobilizes their ers,” he said. “It shows their ers that they’re taking stands on the issues that they care most about.”
Those actions can come with a cost, however, as Kousser noted that taking a stand on larger issues can inflame divisions on a local level.
