Sacramento's city council has voted unanimously to declare the capital of California a sanctuary city for transgender people.
While California was already a sanctuary state, the city's law will specifically ensure local resources are not used to aid law enforcement from other jurisdictions in their attempts to prosecute the families of minors receiving gender-affirming care, as well as their healthcare providers.
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Council member Katie Valenzuela, who sponsored the resolution, said during the council meeting Tuesday that "we see this as a strengthening measure," according to the Los Angeles Times.
"This is more than just protecting the people who live here," she said. "This is also about protecting people who come here from other communities to ensure that we're not aiding law enforcement activities in their home jurisdiction who may seek to criminalize their quest for healthcare."
Valenzuela added that city officials who violate the resolution will face "corrective action," though she did not elaborate on what that would entail.
"This is the sort of thing that you hope is never necessary," she continued. "You hope it never gets triggered. That there's never anyone coming to Sac who is potentially fleeing law enforcement for the sole reason of looking for health care."
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California became a sanctuary state for gender-affirming care following Gov. Gavin Newsom's signing of SB 107 in 2022. The law prohibits states that have banned the life-saving treatment from punishing those who travel to California to receive it by preventing the release of information or the arrest and extradition of someone based on another state's court orders.
Ahead of the vote on Tuesday, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said, the Times reports, that "we debate the many issues in our city, but there's no shade of gray when it comes to civil rights."
"And when it comes to talking about the human rights of people, our city is consistent and we're strong," he said.
