Sen. Alex Padilla speaks out against President Joe Biden’s ‘Trump-era’ immigration proposal

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

PADILLA SLAMS TO BIDEN’S PROPOSED IMMIGRATION FIX

President Joe Biden’s proposal to limit the number of immigrants entering the U.S. on asylum — part of a compromise with Republicans to pass an aid package for Ukraine and Israel — is drawing criticism from Hispanic Democrats in California.

“We are deeply concerned that the President would consider advancing Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fought so hard against — and that he himself campaigned against — in exchange for aid to our allies that Republicans already support,” said California Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Nanette Barragán in a joint statement.

“Caving to demands for these permanent damaging policy changes as a ‘price to be paid’ for an unrelated one-time spending package would set a dangerous precedent.”

Padilla is one of many in the Hispanic Caucus concerned with the Biden Administration using the border as a bargaining chip for Republicans.

“Terrorizing communities across the U.S. by expanding expedited removal and ignoring our international obligations to provide asylum to those fleeing persecution, violence, and authoritarianism are nonstarters,” Padilla and Barragan said.

“We unequivocally agree on the need for Congress to act to reform our immigration system and address the challenges at our border, but extreme Republican demands to cut off legal pathways and deport long-term residents will not reduce unauthorized migration — they will only exacerbate our current challenges.”

SUPREME COURT DELIVERS A BLOW TO CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE LEGAL GROUP

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not hear a challenge to bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ kids, keeping intact laws in California, Washington, and 20 other states.

The challenge came from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian conservative legal advocacy group which supports abortion bans and restrictions on LGBTQ rights. The ADF is representing Brian Tingley, a Washington therapist who challenged his state’s conversion therapy ban.

Lawyers for the ADF argued that prohibiting therapists like Tingley from using conversion therapy on children is a First Amendment violation. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito both dissented the decision, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he voted to hear the case.

In Washington, “licensed counselors can speak with minors about gender dysphoria, but only if they convey the state-approved message of encouraging minors to explore their gender identities. Expressing any other message is forbidden—even if the counselor’s clients ask for help to accept their biological sex,” wrote Thomas.

“That is viewpoint-based and content-based discrimination in its purest form. As a result, (the law) is presumptively unconstitutional, and the state must show that it can survive strict scrutiny before enforcing it.”

VINCE FONG, ASSEMBLYMAN AND FORMER MCCARTHY STAFFER, WILL RUN TO REPLACE HIM IN CONGRESS

A Bakersfield Assemblyman who served as Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s district director for about a decade will run to succeed his former boss in Congress.

Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, announced on social media he would run in California’s 20th Congressional District, a deep-red San Joaquin Valley stronghold. Fong, who said last week he would not enter the race, changed course after state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, announced that she would not pursue election to McCarthy’s seat.

“It is my strong belief that the Central Valley must continue to be represented by proven, conservative leaders in Congress,” Fong wrote. “In light of recent developments and in an attempt to unite our community in this critical moment in our nation’s history, I have decided to run for Congress in 2024. Let’s go!”

Fong has procedural hurdles ahead. He qualified for re-election to the Assembly before Friday’s filing deadline and has through Wednesday to complete his congressional paperwork. The Bee asked the California Secretary of State’s office how easily he could withdraw from the Assembly race and is awaiting a response.

Fong, 44, currently represents California’s 32nd Assembly district, and was first elected in 2016. Prior to that, he served as the district director to McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.

SACRAMENTO MAYORAL CANDIDATE CALLS OUT SAC COUNTY DA FOR ‘PLAYING POLITICS WITH PEOPLES’ LIVES’

Sacramento Mayoral candidate Flo Cofer held a press conference Monday morning outside Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho’s office in downtown Sacramento to criticize his recent lawsuits against the city.

In September, Ho sued the city alleging that its homeless encampments created a “public nuisance.” On December 5, he accused city officials of allowing encampments to pollute waterways and endanger public health.

Cofer said the lawsuit is a waste of public resources and a cruelty toward people who are unhoused.

“While homeless people are more likely to be the victims of crime ... there are instances where they have been the perpetrators,” Cofer said. “But these crimes are already crimes and we don’t need to criminalize homelessness to be able to respond to them.”

“The real threat of contamination is that our politics are contaminated,” Cofer said. “We are here to remind Mr. Ho that he’s playing politics with people’s lives.”

Ho called Cofer’s press conference a “political ploy to promote her campaign.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I have watched moral clarity shine through in another candidate ... I am proud to endorse Barbara Lee for the Senate to represent us in California at the federal level.”

- Burbank Mayor Konstantin Anthony, in his endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee for U.S. Senate, after previously endorsing Rep. Adam Schiff.

Best of The Bee:

• They lost their loved ones to violent crimes, and now these Sacramento families are honoring them through art, via Maya Miller.

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento announced Saturday that it is filing for bankruptcy protection, joining dozens of others that have been financially battered by sexual abuse lawsuits, via Sam Stanton.

• Davis professors rebuff UC president’s call for ‘viewpoint-neutral’ Middle East history lessons, via Ishani Desai.