Recently, I have focused on Aaron Ford, the Democratic Leader of the Nevada State Senate who thought it unwise to challenge Donald Trump on immigration because of his fear that local governments would lose federal funding if Trump was "provoked." Yesterday, while trying to inspire Senator Ford to find his missing miniature spine, I came across a remarkable piece of leadership from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Scott Jones, the Sheriff of Sacramento County, invited Donald Trump's Director of Immigration & Customs Enforcement to appear at a town hall. Sheriff Jones recently used Trumpain anti-immigrant rhetoric when criticizing a bill which would protect immigrant families from Donald Trump's deportation force.
Mayor Steinberg led a rally protesting Jones' decision to bring Donald Trump's ICE Director to Sacramento County. Then Mayor Steinberg attended the public meeting with Sheriff Jones & Donald Trump's ICE Director. At that meeting, Mayor Steinberg waited in line behind the constituents he represents. When it was his turn to speak, he introduced himself as Darrell Steinberg and noted he was the Mayor of Sacramento as an after thought. Then, mere feet from Donald Trump's ICE Director, lit into Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies and directly asked Sheriff Jones if he was planning on turning his deputies into agents of Donald Trump's Deportation Force. Jones, fearing the wrath of a constituency that loathes President Trump, publicly pledged that his deputies would not become agents of Trump's Deportation Force as long as he was Sheriff.
Mayor Steinberg wasn't finished. Capitol Public Radio reported on Steinberg's exchange with Trump's ICE Director.
Steinberg directed a question at Homan. "How can you assure the public your agency won't be asked to deport dreamers and law-abiding families?" he asked.
"I do not know," said Homan as to whether Trump will continue to allow DACA "dreamers" to stay in the US and not be subject to deportation.
By directly confronting Donald Trump's radical policies, Mayor Stronger forced Sheriff Jones into taking a position, refusing to turn his deputies into agents of Trump's Deportation Force, that Jones did not want to take. By being fearless about the actions Trump might take to punish Sacramento, Steinberg exposed Trump's policies to be extreme, vengeful, and pointless.
This is what it looks like when a Mayor stands strong in the face of Donald Trump. This is what it looks like when a Mayor doesn't give Donald Trump an inch because he knows that Trump will then take a mile. This was Darrell Steinberg's, a person who has long been an elected official in California, finest hour as a public servant. I hope Aaron Ford learns from, and emulates, it.