Mayor to pastor: This one's on your tab
Miller wants church to pay $39,306 for police costs
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Mayor Paul Miller

Mayor Paul Miller wants the city to hold Simi's United Church of Christ financially liable for law enforcement costs related to maintaining the peace during Sunday's three-hour protest outside the church- a bill in upwards of $39,000.

"Because the church willfully decided to harbor an illegal alien and made a public announcement of that fact, it was responsible for provoking the demonstration that occurred at their location this past Sunday," Miller said during Monday's City Council meeting. "As a result I believe that Rev. (June C.) Goudey and the members of her congregation are responsible for bearing the entire cost of the law enforcement response necessary to deal with the situation."

Police Chief Mike Lewis told the Simi Valley Acorn that Simi police expended an estimated 500 staff hours to provide security for the rally, causing the city to spend about $35,000 of unbudgeted money. At any given time, between four and 15 officers were on hand to secure the church,with an additional four tactical teams positioned in nearby areas in case the event escalated, he said.

Miller suggested the council consider enacting an ordinance enabling the city to recover costs from any group who attempts to "protect those in violation of the law."

Nearly 100 protesters from antiillegal immigration organizations gathered in front of UCC on Sunday to speak out against the church's recent action to provide sanctuary to a 29yearold undocumented former Oxnard resident known only as Liliana. The protest, organized by Save Our State, also attracted counterprotests from other groups, such as the International Socialist Organization.

Lewis said the police department had about five days to prepare for the rally after a spokesperson from Save Our State notified the city and the watch commander that they would be coming to Simi to protest. An intelligence officer determined that the protest was originally scheduled to occur in front of Liliana's former sanctuary- an Episcopal Church in Long Beach, where at least two other protests had occured- but was shifted when she moved to the Simi Valley.

To get a feel for what to expect at the rally, Simi police contacted Long Beach police as a starting point for their planning, Lewis said. "We assume that if Liliana stays there, using what we've heard from (LBPD), in four to six weeks we can expect Save Our State to come out again," he said. "We have already begun the preliminary planning for a second rally."

Simi PD requested aid from public works, the transit department and the county sheriff's department to secure the area on Sunday, Lewis said. The grand total spent by the city, excluding the planning and post-rally debriefing, was $39,306.

Miller said that he and Councilmember Michelle Foster met with the church's pastor on Aug. 23 to advise her not to bring Liliana into the city. But on Aug. 28, the church publicly announced Liliana's arrival.

"I firmly believe that June Goudey and her congregation at the (UCC) have acted irresponsibly by harboring an illegal alien and making a public announcement calling attention to themselves by those groups who oppose their point of view," Miller said.

The church's decision to be public about the matter is a requirement it must follow as a member congregation of the New Sanctuary Movement. UCC in Simi is currently the only church in Ventura County to volunteer sanctuary.

The mayor sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Thousand Oaks) on Sept. 4 requesting his intervention. Though Gallegly did intervene, Immigration and Customs Enforcement "made it clear that they were not going to take this person as long as she was on church property," Miller said. "It's a known fact that (ICE) puts low priority on aliens whose only crime is being here illegally."

After further discussion, all council members said they were in support of the mayor's stance. Foster, who witnessed the rally, said the city was fortunate that the protest didn't escalate to a higher level. Still, she said, providing security is a "huge tax on our resources."

As of Wednesday evening, Goudey told the Acorn, she had not received an invoice from the city.

"We have a cordial relationship with the mayor and hope that continues," she said. "I understood the help we received from the police on Sunday was part of their routine public service efforts to keep the peace. Nothing in my contact with them led me to believe otherwise."

At the end of council comments, the City Council asked City Attorney David Hirsch and his staff to explore the option of drafting the cost-recovery ordinance and come back with information as soon as possible. The city attorney also said he would look into the church's taxexempt status.

"This city is not going to become known as a sanctuary city," Miller said. "Period."