The proposal to
divest and boycott Arizona over the state’s passage of SB 1070, making
illegal federal immigration law a violation of state law is stupid.
As elected officials, we take an oath to uphold the federal and state
constitutions. To boycott a state for enforcing our federal laws is in
direct violation of that oath.
The propaganda by both the media and
others is intentionally misleading because Arizona’s law mirrors
federal law. Rather than debating a boycott, this Board of Supervisors
should hold our federal representatives accountable for their failure
to act on immigration reform but also for their failure to reimburse
costs incurred by local governments.
This knee jerk reaction to support law breakers at the expense of
law-abiding legal immigrants and other residents is irresponsible.
A divestment and a boycott is a disingenuous show of perceived
political correctness that will only backfire and will shoot us in the
heart — not in the foot. The fiscal impact of terminating contracts
with Arizona would harm our already fragile economic condition of this
county and add to our double-digit unemployment rolls.
Arizona supplies Los Angeles County with water and energy as well as
jobs and opportunities to our residents who work in those businesses
and institutions visited by Arizona residents.