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"Today you have before you actions related to the Supporting Immigrant Communities ad hoc, including reviewing the draft charter and an ordinance," said Jennifer Solito, Sonoma County's assistant county administrator, to the board of supervisors at their Sept. 23, 2025 meeting.

The Supporting Immigrant Communities ad hoc committee was conceived of in August shortly after the board turned down a fierce plea from community activists, including those conducting a hunger strike, demanding Sonoma County adopt an official sanctuary ordinance to protect immigrant residents.

A week before it was formed, board chair Lynda Hopkins wrote in a newsletter that county officials cannot legally stop federal Immigrations & Customers Enforcement agents from deporting community members

Hopkins called adopting such a sanctuary ordinance an “empty promise.”

Now, Hopkins says the committee is means to identify challenges faced by immigrant residents and recommend local policies to protect them.

One of those recommendations is a proposed urgency ordinance that would prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identity during operations in unincorporated areas of the county. County officials say the ordinance is meant to prevent masked, unidentified officers from conducting raids.

Hopkins pointed out local deputies are always identifiable, with their names sewn right on their uniforms

"Bringing forward an urgency ordinance around masking is not in any way, shape, or form to interfere with the ongoing operations of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office," Hopkins said. "We know our local deputies, they are part of our local community."

The county’s urgency ordinance aligns with another bill recently signed by Governor Newsom, which imposes similar police unmasking requirements statewide starting in 2026.