Tuesday, June 9, 2026

City to Require Sheriff’s Deputies at City Events to Follow Its Policies, Including Immigration Limits

The council added the contract condition June 8 to a $15.5 million, five-year supplemental law enforcement agreement with Los Angeles County.

[Updated]  Pasadena will require Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies hired for city events to follow Pasadena’s policies, including its immigration policies, under a contract condition the council added June 8.

The condition was attached to a routine consent-calendar item authorizing the city to spend up to $15.5 million over five years on supplemental law enforcement from the County of Los Angeles, provided through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department — $5 million for major events and $10.5 million for New Year’s activities, covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The council approved the consent calendar, with the added language, without objection.

Councilmember Tyron Hampton pulled the item for separate discussion and pressed his colleagues to write the city’s values into the agreement, arguing it “doesn’t hurt to put that in writing” with any agency the city contracts with.

“Anyone that we contract with should abide by our policies here in the city of Pasadena,” Hampton said, “as it relates to immigration enforcement.”

He framed the move as a statement of principle, telling the council, “it’s part of our values as a collective.” As the back-and-forth continued, Hampton narrowed his request to its core, saying the deputies are “not here for immigration enforcement.”

The push followed public testimony urging the council to hold outside agencies to the same restrictions Pasadena police now apply to interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One speaker said the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t “exactly have a good track record” and warned that the contract contained no mechanism to ensure compliance.

The city clerk reported three letters on the item, including one advocating that the council ensure all other local agency officers abide by the city’s policies related to ICE and one raising concerns with the staff recommendations.

Councilmember Rick Cole seconded the motion on the condition that the contract reflect the requirement, arguing the city should not assume deputies will operate the way Pasadena officers do.

“I’m worried when they are in our town that they operate the way they should, which is the Pasadena Way, not the sheriff’s way,” Cole said.

He warned about conduct in volatile situations: “if push comes to shove, which is more likely in today’s world than it has been for a long time, I don’t want them doing the shoving.”

Cole compared the stakes to the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of demonstrations, saying Pasadena would face liabilities “in the multimillions of dollars” if it policed protests the same way.

The debate unfolded against a backdrop of broader anxiety over federal pressure, which several members named directly.

Councilmember Steve Madison noted the city had contracted with the Sheriff’s Department “for decades” without “a single problem” and called the proposal “a solution in search of a problem.” But he tied the moment to the national climate, calling these “special times” he linked to “the military training,” and saying the concern “can all be sort of laid at the feet of this corrupt administration that we have in the presidency.”

He cautioned against trying to redraft a long-standing contract “spitballing here” on the dais.

Madison also warned of legal exposure, saying he was “struggling with the idea that this contract will cross deputize deputy sheriffs to be under the supervision of our police department” and that he doubted the county would agree to it. He proposed an alternative: rather than rewrite the agreement, the council should “simply give direction to the city manager and through the city manager, the chief” to ensure any contractor understands “that it is our policy that in the city of Pasadena that civil immigration enforcement will not occur.”

Police Chief Eugene Harris told the council that state law already binds all peace officers, including sheriff’s deputies, to the same immigration restrictions. Senate Bill 54 and Senate Bill 34 “applies to the Sheriff’s Department,” he said, as well as to the Pasadena Police Department and any other agency the city contracts with, leaving them “precluded from participating in anything that has to do with immigration enforcement.”

Harris said outside agencies typically work alongside Pasadena officers at events as an oversight mechanism, and that he would consult the city attorney on the wording.

Mayor Victor Gordo initially resisted writing new conditions, framing the deputies’ role at events such as Rose Bowl games as “security, not enforcement purposes” and noting that all peace officers are already “bound by state law.” But he rejected cross-deputizing the deputies while insisting they would still answer to Pasadena’s police chief. “We’re not cross-deputizing,” Gordo said. “Our chief of police is the chief of police and I would expect them to follow the direction of our chief of police while under contract with us.” He directed that a statement of the city’s values be added to the contract preamble, establishing Pasadena as the lead agency and requiring contracted officers to follow the direction of the police chief, follow state law and treat people fairly. He also broadened the intent beyond immigration. “I don’t think it’s limited to immigration enforcement,” Gordo said, citing Cole’s warning about agencies that “shove.”

“When we say Eugene Harris is the Pasadena Police Chief, it applies to all of Pasadena,” the mayor said.

The city attorney said staff would work to produce language reflecting the council’s intent on immigration enforcement, noting the agreement is negotiated with the county, which has its own legal representation.