Saturday, January 31, 2026

Pasadena Area State Senator Rebukes LAPD Chief’s Comments on Anti-Masking Law

Pasadena-area State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez on Friday criticized Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s remarks implying the LAPD will not enforce California’s anti-masking law, SB 627. Pérez, who represents Pasadena and Altadena in the 25th Senate District, released the statement from Sacramento.

“LAPD Chief McDonnell’s apparent decision to not enforce California’s, SB 627, the No Secret Police Act, by stating it ‘does not make sense’ is alarming and signals a disregard for his legal obligation to uphold our state laws,” Pérez said in the statement. “A Police Chief does not get to pick and choose which laws will be enforced and which will go ignored.”

She said the stance “squarely contradicts the Chief’s own claim at the same press conference that public safety is the government’s foremost responsibility and, without it, everything else fails.” Pérez added that “public safety does not exist when immigration raids with masked agents directly destabilize communities and erode trust.”

“Statements like this create a broader ripple effect that undermine consistent enforcement of our laws and feed into the current federal administration’s arbitrary behaviors,” she said. “I expect more from a leader who has a distinguished public service career and who has taken an oath to uphold all our laws and protect the rights and safety of millions of diverse Angelenos.”

Pérez said McDonnell “must clarify his position and restate his commitment to enforcing the law, including duly passed laws like SB 627 and SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, which are designed to protect public safety and hold law enforcement accountable to the public.”

Pérez is Chair of the Senate Education Committee and represents the 25th Senate District, which includes Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena.