BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 After weeks of debate, Bakersfield leaders are hitting the brakes on a proposal that would have made the city a sanctuary city.<\/p>\n
The controversial topic of Bakersfield becoming a sanctuary city drew dozens of people into City Hall, pleading their case for and against the move.<\/p>\n
But now, the latter is taking a win.<\/p>\n
The discussion came to an abrupt end after a last-minute move by Councilmember Zach Bashirtash.<\/p>\n
“I just have a quick referral,” Bashirtash said during his turn to speak, “That staff cease to work on any sanctuary city or Truth Act from this moment forward.”<\/p>\n
\u00a0Blue Oak Coffee closing in downtown Bakersfield\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n His referral was followed by no discussion and no objections.<\/p>\n In previous meetings some councilmembers, including Manpreet Kaur and Andrae Gonzales, voiced support for a sanctuary city. But now, silence.<\/p>\n 17 News reached out for comment but did not hear back.<\/p>\n Efforts to make Bakersfield a sanctuary city have come to an end.<\/p>\n “For the city, the staff isn’t going to work on that project anymore \u2013 or that topic anymore,” a spokesman for the City of Bakersfield said. “At this point, it’s not on any agendas for consideration either for the council or for any of its committees.”<\/p>\n Conroy said if other council members had a problem with the referral, they could have taken action.<\/p>\n “A councilmember can object to a referral. It doesn’t typically happen. If it did, I believe it would go to a vote after that,” the spokesperson said. “If somebody had said something, nobody asked to comment any further on it. And that referral moved forward.”<\/p>\n Bashirtash said he had multiple reasons for the referral such as the risk of losing federal funding and a greater need to focus on other city issues like public safety and homelessness.<\/p>\n