Turlock residents will have the opportunity this Friday to meet and converse with civic leaders at the annual Town Hall Meeting presented by Stanislaus County District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa.
The meeting will be held at Calvary Chapel Turlock, 147 S. Broadway, and gets underway at 5:30 p.m.
Slated to join Chiesa at the Town Hall are Rep. John Duarte (R-Hughson), Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, Turlock Police Chief Jason Hedden, and Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak.
“I started doing these in about 2010, so we’ve probably had about 15 of them by now,” said Chiesa. “These meetings are very important to me. I always want to prove to people that we are working together. People don’t believe it sometimes. They see it in the news, they see it all over the place. But I want to show them that we have a common goal and we’re trying to make our community better. That resonates with people. That’s our job. And I want to show that we are doing our job.”
Chiesa, Duarte, and Bublak will speak about regional issues and legislative priorities.
“We did a big one of these in Atwater a few days and about 160 people were there,” said Duarte, in his first term representing the 13th congressional district. “We went for an hour and a half and I was challenged and encouraged from the left, from the right and I think it was a great success. I look forward to working with Vito. I’ve known him since we were with the Young Farmers and Ranchers in the 1990s. He’s hardworking and in touch with his constituents.”
Dirkse will deliver a presentation on the California’s Sanctuary Law Senate Bill 54 by Sheriff Dirkse. SB 54 prevents state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies.
“It will be about how we do and do not work with (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) under state law,” said Dirkse. “ It’s pretty straightforward, actually, just misunderstood.”
Hedden’s department deals less frequently with immigration issues, but he’ll be on hand to support Dirkse’s during the discussion.
“SB 54 is more of a Sheriff’s Department thing,” said Hedden. “But it’s a challenge. We want any criminal activity reported, regardless of immigration status. We don’t want people to be afraid of law enforcement. We want people to feel like they can contact the police.”
With some exceptions, SB 54 limits local agencies and others, such as school police and security departments, from using money or personnel “to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest individuals” for immigration enforcement purposes. The law became effecting in January 2018.
Admission to the town hall meeting is free, but limited to the facility’s capacity. For questions about the event, accessibility or to request accommodations contact Megan Wells at 209-525-6464 or via email at WellsM@stancounty.com
