The Antelope Valley Times

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L.A. County supervisors vote to welcome refugees

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors formally declared that it will welcome Syrian and other refugees fleeing persecution to a “new, peaceful and productive life in Los Angeles County.”

The vote was 3-1 on Tuesday, with Supervisor Michael Antonovich dissenting and Supervisor Don Knabe abstaining.

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl recommended sending a letter to President Barack Obama and congressional representatives expressing support of federal efforts to help Syrians fleeing violence and increase the number of refugees to be resettled over the next two years.

Both said the declaration was simply a matter of continuing a longstanding county tradition of not tolerating hate crimes and bigotry.

Their motion noted the board’s commemoration earlier this year of the Armenian genocide and its 2012 revocation of a 1942 resolution that supported the internment of Japanese-Americans.

“We simply chose to push back on every vestige of bigotry that threatens the best of what it means to celebrate democracy,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Antonovich came under heavy criticism for a speech to constituents after the San Bernardino shooting massacre in which he said, “The first thing I asked about this incident, was the guy named Muhammad?”

Antonovich on Tuesday said that he was sympathetic to the plight of refugees, saying his “heart and soul goes out to the people who have been displaced by the Syrian conflict.”

But, he said, the screening process currently in place for refugees doesn’t protect the public.

“We don’t have the vetting process in place … the consequences are too great,” Antonovich stressed, quoting concerns raised by some military and federal intelligence officials.

Ridley-Thomas and Kuehl disagreed.

“Refugees are subject to the strictest form of security screening of any class of traveler to the U.S. before they are allowed to enter, and are subject to extensive background,  security and health checks,” their motion states.

Kuehl emphasized the point to her colleagues.

“I have no doubt that the rules will be stringent enough,” Kuehl said. “It’s not for the county of Los Angeles to say, ‘We don’t think you’ve built the walls high enough.”‘

Those who spoke out in support of the declaration included Robin Toma, executive director of the county’s Human Relations Commission.

His mother was forced to relocate to an internment camp for Japanese- Americans during World War II.

“The tragedy in San Bernardino has struck all of us in a very hard way. It raises the level of fear, anger, emotions,” Toma said. “The idea of making policy to discriminate against a group because of the nation they came from, because of their ethnicity, because of their religion, is anathema to our Constitution and to the values of this county.”

Rabbi Jonathan Klein recalled the Holocaust.

“We have people coming from a country that they cannot really return to,” Klein said. “My people in the ’40s, in the famous story of the St. Louis, had boatloads of people leaving Europe and facing horrific conditions and they were turned away. Half of the people on the St. Louis went back to Europe and were killed by Nazis. We were an unwelcoming nation.”

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Filed Under: Politics

87 comments for "L.A. County supervisors vote to welcome refugees"

  1. 10dog, actually….we do have money. If we have money for corporate welfare and pay for a 2.3B f-35 fighter jet…we have money.

    • One county, in all of California, says that they don’t mind Syrian refugees settling there and that’s a reason to leave???

      The ultimate irony would be that, wherever you moved to, you would still be subject to Syrians being settled there because it is not the authority of the states, cities or counties to determine where refugees are settled, but the domain of the federal government.

      Oh, and just FYI, the State of Idaho has had to take over 200 Syrian families already this year, so I guess you can cross them off your list.

    • So, where ya goin’, Lori?

      I notice that people who ‘threaten’ us that they are leaving never say where they’re going as though we would be able to follow an anonymous poster.

      Then, there are those that have moved away but never say where they live now.

      Are we supposed to be impressed by such comments, feel sad, jealous, or what?

      You’d think they’d be boasting that they are moving to Maui or Bora Bora or wherever.

      Please help us, Lori, to understand what your point is.

    • I just want to know, who’s paying for all the refugees? The country, the state nd county are broke, ( I know Tim Scott) is going to say our taxes, but our money is tied up in the high speed ghost train, plus we live in the most over crowded county in the country with the highest taxes, I’m all for genorosity but we have homeless veterans, nd citizens to care for first, people say open your heart, I am to hurting Americans first

      • You don’t have to pay for refugees. You can get them for free. All you have to do is topple the government of a foreign country to create a power vacuum while operating under the totally discredited theory of “democratization by invasion.” Presto, the entire region destabilizes and people are driven scurrying for safety like big two legged cockroaches.

        The question then becomes whether you are willing to take responsibility for your actions and help them, or just smugly say their situation is their own fault and spray them with raid.

        • Tim, you hit the nail on the head. These chucklenutz don’t understand that we are responsible for destablelizing the region with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

  3. I’ll take Syrian refugees in the A.V. any day over these leeching parasites we have living here now, who arrived about 10 years ago!

    At least the Syrian kids will behave and perform well in school, and the Syrians won’t be robbing us, shoplifting our stores and shooting eachother.

  4. What do these guys care – do you think the refugees are moving to Malibu or Santa Monica where they live? We know where they’ll end up. Right here in the AV. Besides the boneheaded notion that we should be accepting “refugees” at all, another issue this raises is, why is the AV a part of LA County? Our tax dollars flow down below to be wasted on hand outs and graft, and we get nothing in return. AV Hospital is one example. It’s chronically underfunded compared to other hospitals in the county. What we get is the parolees, Section 8’ers, and the homeless. The LA County Board of Supervisors does not care about or speak for the people in the AV.

    • Let’s snip the AV right off the planet and relocate it on the moon. That is about as realistic as these “why are we in LA county” rants. I hate to break this to you, but very seldom do “tax dollars flow” from areas with lower income per capita to areas with higher income per capita. Just like the poor states like Mississippi and Louisiana get more in federal spending than they provide in taxes, the lower income areas of the county get more in spending than they provide in taxes…and that would be us.

      • It’s probably worth mentioning also that Los Angeles County — through Lancaster and Palmdale — also collects lots of sales tax revenue from other neighboring counties, because we serve as the only retail/restaurant/hospitality/medical hub out in this direction past L.A.

        I know people from as far away as Bishop who come down to Lancaster to shop at Costco and then stop at places around the mall in Palmdale before heading back home. For them, it’s either us or Carson City, Nevada, and coming here is easier because it’s mostly four lanes the whole way and there are no snowy passes to cross.

        Practically all of Eastern Kern County, from Rosamond and Tehachapi to Ridgecrest to Boron, come to Lancaster and Palmdale on a regular basis. So, when it comes to bringing in revenue, we contribute our fair share in that sense. This is also why virtually none of the retail has closed in Palmdale, but actually grown. I guess you could say we are “blessed” in a sense, to be a far-flung outpost of Greater Los Angeles.

        • We bring in some revenue. As a wild guess though the total sales tax paid in LA county by Kern county (and beyond) residents is probably pretty small compared to what comes in from Orange county, or San Bernadino and Riverside. It’s also pretty small compared to what we ourselves, the half million residents, generate, so I think our retail would probably survive just fine…but more is certainly better.

          All in all I’d say LA county is a great county to be a part of, and we are a useful, though not particularly vital, part. Consider the Kern county places that you mentioned. The services that the Kern county government extends beyond the Bakersfield city limits is basically zero.

          • Exactly! I’ve never had a problem being part of L.A. County! …Lots of culture and talent here, not to mention great medical care, great colleges and universities and there’s always something to do on a weekend not too far from home.

        • About what?

          I’m trying to follow the formatting, but this site isn’t the easiest to work with.

          If you mean the “don’t let the door hit you…” that was aimed at Miss Leaving the State.

    • Mike, so why are you not complaining about the money that is wasted on corporatd welfare? Or the billions wasted on the f-35?

  5. I recently read that in Turkey they are processing 400 Syrian refugees a day. I work for the federal government with a security clearance. It takes about 6 months for a back ground check for a US citizen to go though the vetting process to get a security clearance. There is absolutely no way that any kind of background check can be performed on these people because they are fleeing a hostile environment. You cannot go and ask their neighbors if they have witness any strange behaviors because their neighbors are either bad guys, in fear of telling the truth, have fled themselves, or gone by other means. 400 in one day, give me a break! It is probably true that refugees go through a stricter process that any other traveler because they probably ask them a couple of questions.

    • Accurate depiction of the reality. It is in the nature of being a refugee that there is little that can be done in terms of checking backgrounds, so among them there probably are people of ill intention. The question then becomes how much are we willing to punish the good out of fear of the bad?

      There are ten thousand births in America every day. Current estimates say 400 of them have the potential to be sociopaths, who may at some point in their lives exhibit associated behavior. Should we abort all pregnancies?

      At the end of the day how we respond to refugees is a measure of ourselves, not the refugees.

  6. WHAT THE HELL!! Isis said they will sneak in us by refugees…how stupid are these people to even chance a mass killing against our innocent civilians, which include children by the way. You biters should be ashamed. Americans need to help eachither first. I know people who work and still almost a short check of live out there car.

    • What, i am more afraid of the domestic terrorrists that are trying to play Rambo in the federal building in Oregon. I am more cocerned about the ammosexuals in Texas running around with guns. By the way, how the F*&^k do you plan a seige and forget the snacks? Lol.

  8. No doubt, the refugees will prefer the AV because of the desert environment not the South Central environment of Ridgley-Thomas, or the West Hollywood community of Sheila with Russian emigrants, or the East Side with Hispanics under Hilda. The A.V. is the perfect place. Plenty of empty houses, a new homeless shelter at 60th and I courtesy of the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, and two large county social services offices on Avenue K-6. Welcome neighbor!

    • And your local AV city officials both Lancaster and Palmdale well be welcoming the Refugees so they can get there peace of the Federal kickback $$$.. And they will say there was nothing we could do. It was a Obama decision Nothing we could do. Lol

      • I dunno about “Obama decision,” but immigration law is actually handled at the federal level so that “nothing we could do” would have more than a grain of truth in it.

  9. Hmmmm….yet, these right wingers pretend to follow the bible “praise the lord” they say, but inside they are rotten and full of hate, racism and jealousy. You all make me vomit, your God has to be laughing at you and they way you pretend to live your life. You show one face in public, but I am itching to hear you behind closed doors.

    • I am a Christian and I do not hate. But, you are supposed to try and protect your family from those that hate you, am I wrong in that? When they are taught to hate America and it’s people, would YOU let them in? Thought so. You need to consider the ramifications of letting anyone and everyone into your country that doesn’t have respect for you or could care less about what you think! Only to Demand their rights which one doesn’t have unless on is a Citizen of the country. Wake up before they put you to sleep for good!

      • Sharon, what the God loving hypocritechristian republicans tend to forget, is that…we would not be having refugees flee their countries, if wr wpuld have not destablelized the regions by getting involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Also, the God that i know, does not discriminate, is for helping yhe poor, and healingthe sick. And would not be walking around with a gun. If God was with us, he would be a big time Democrat. Please stop making people believe that you are God loving christians.

  10. And yet the good people of Los Angeles county keep voting these brain trusts into office. Y’all get the government (and the aftermath) you ask for.

    • Jeff, i don’t see anything wrong with helping refugees. Not everyone is a greedy republican with the messed up mentality that as long as i got mine, screw everyone else.

  11. I can’t believe that anyone would even try to justify this action by the Board if Supervisors with all the proof out there, even from Imam scholars, and former Muslims that have converted. The fiscal problems and irresponsibility already problematic…homeless veterans, etc., etc. With the proof right in front of your eyes that the vetting process isn’t as secure and reliable as the Libtards would have all of us believe. I work in Iraq and can tell you personally that there is no safe vetting process. It’s disgusting to read so many comments from people who know so little about the true issues and who fall back on regurgitated rhetoric that they pass out on these bleeding heart bandwagons. I agree that it’s tragic that these people are from war torn areas but there’s too much of a risk of even letting a handful of the wrong people in with the ones we claim are trying to help. That all being said, it’s obvious that the Supervisors aren’t listening to the majority, they are just doing what they think is good for their careers in politics. The one comment about a “magic door” opening up just because the Supervisors voted on this is absolutely correct. We as citizens need to write as well to Congress and Senators to let them know that this isn’t what the majority in the community want. It’s a shame that we have so many politicians that have forgotten that their oath of office is about the people and not their careers. Even if there is a tenth of a percent chance that any in our communities would be endangered by these decisions, this vote should have been a unilateral “No”.

  12. We have a million homeless VETERAN AMERICANS the government are not even taking care of. But sure, let’s take in a million MUSLIMS who religion commands them to RAPE women just to spread the Muslim people and to KILL whoever does not believe in their faith. Let’s risk the safety of our Americans for the FEW Muslims who do not condone the faith and let in the MILLIONS that will kill themselves and everyone they can for it. Keep in mind the majority of the refugees are MEN. They are a hidden army to usurp the United States. God be with us all. John 3:16

    • Alex, we have our own God loving domestic terrorrists here in America. Have you forgotten about the God loving christian that shot up planned parenthood? Also, 41 republican senators voted against the “Veterans Benefits Bill”. So republicans do not care about veterans, they care more about the military industrial complex. Yet, we have vetarans that keep voting for them. Just like he seniors on social srcurity, that keep voting for republicans that want to take it away.

  13. This is a huge mistake and ofcourse liberals embrace this. LA County doesn’t need anymore people looking for hand outs. Who will include the cost to house and feed these people? Tim Scott? Ol Barry O Dawg? I don’t think so……
    Awe Tim Scott patiently awaiting

    • Patiently waiting for what?

      For me to say I was most likely in the AV before you so take your screen name and piss off?

      Okay, take your screen name and piss off.

      Satisfied?

  14. This is totally wrong. Will you be responsible for any deaths that are due to you and Mr. Obama not being able to check these people out. Have you not listened to the news that all departments of security say that there are Jihadist waiting to get into this country with the refugees. “we choose to push back on every vestige of bigotry”etc. WHO IS WE!! Where is the government for the people and by the people? We, don’t want them here with the smallest chance they will kill any family in this county. Shall we offer up your sons and daughters first? I don’t suppose any of you would like that!! Stop and think!! “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves” Qur’an 4-8:29—-Sahih Muslim 30–Muhammad said “I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah”. Islam is not a religion it is a belief to take over the world. They are out to kill us. Who among you will guarantee that someone in that group will not kill Americans? Is there anyone one of you that thinks Mr Obama has any idea of what he is doing? And your going to send him a letter?

  15. commies,,,,,,so section 8 ,,put them in the a.v. now its these folks…we have no room! its taken up by all the illegal aliens you guys love so much! put them all in your back yard for a change

  16. You folks realize this is just a symbolic gesture? It’s not like there’s a wall surrounding Los Angeles county with a door that magically opened when the county supervisors voted in favor of this issue.

    • I don’t think people really get that. They just see the title of the article, see how long it is, and either skim over it or completely forego actually reading it. And, on top of that, comprehension levels seem to be lacking!

  17. Is everyone forgetting the way these people have been brought up to disrespect women? There is no way they will be able to work and live besides US citizens. women are considered a lower class and just watch the domestic violence numbers go up. bad move

  18. Board of stupidity. Have they listen to the reports that the Islamic refuges wanto to go Europe and not the USA? Hint!!!!

  19. The USA national debt is 18 Trillion dollars that means every American citizens man woman and child has to pay about 140k each to clear the debt. Now welcome Refugees. No one has said how much importing a Nation of poor people will cost. When a country can’t pay it’s debts it must sale some of its SOVEREIGNTY. Mr Trump knows all about this.

    • Tom,
      My concern with conflating the two issues is that refugees are potential victims of violence, so there isn’t really a price that justifies the allowing of violence to happen. I’m sure refugees represent a net loss for quite awhile, but it’s not a money issue to me. I don’t even worry so much about ‘Muslims’ exactly, but more about our own governments ability to discern a terrorist that is trying to use the refugee system to get into the country. It’s not about mistrusting Muslims as much as it is about not trusting our own government.

    • TRUMP IS A LUNATIC RACIST WHO WILL NEVER WIN BECAUSE ALL HE DOES IS SPEW RACIAL HATRED TOWARDS MINORITIES,HE DOES NOT SPEAK FOR THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS

      • He DOES speak for a significant fraction of the Republican party…a fact the Republican party has been desperately denying for decades. I’m glad the Butt Trumpet came along to reveal their true face.

        • No it won’t. If you are concern about our debt, why are you nog concetn about corporate welfare or the billions that ard wasted on the military industrial complex?

    • Tom, so how much are we wasting on corporate welfare? Why are you not complaining about that? By the way, where were you when we wasted billions in Iraq?

  20. No one should be surprised when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recommends that these refugees be relocated to the Antelope Valley.

    You can’t stop illegal immigrants from entering the country, you can’t stop the homeless from coming to Lancaster, and you can’t stop refugees from coming to the Antelope Valley.

    Our community needs to accept these refugees as one of us. You cannot chase people out of your city because of their religion. Most Muslims are not here to harm us. They just want what everyone else wants. A safe place to live and prosper.

    These refugees did not want to flee their homes and country. They are fleeing because of the violence from their own government, Bashar al-Assad’s regime, not from ISIS.

    • Does anyone remember “Operation Desert Bloom” when thy wanted to pump their sewage waste into the Antelope Valley desert? Antelope Valley needs to secede from L.A. county.

      • Secede from LA county? I suggest you take a very brief look at that and find out how nonsensical you are being. You might as well be suggesting that we snip the Antelope Valley off the planet with a big scissors and relocate it to the moon. That may be MORE realistic.

  22. Are these people freakin’ insane??? Lock and load people, that is all I have to say. It is obvious we are on our own, and we must protect ourselves and our community, knowing these psycho’s will allow these terrorists to invade our valley. Have they not seen the riots these “peaceful” people bring? Have they not seen Germany, Sydney ect ect? These people are not civil!!!!

    • Certainly wouldn’t want to see opinions that challenge your world view or anything, since you are absolutely certain you are right about everything, eh?

  24. If these Supervisors want to Sponsor these refugees and be held liable for their upstart out of funds held personally have at it. If the County Supervisors want to usher in refugees at the cost of Taxpayers they ought to think about stepping down from the position they are holding.

    • Brian,
      It seems like they are focused on this issue because they are terrified of having someone call them bigoted against Islam, but I can’t imagine that Europe is too pleased with how their own refugee issues have gone thus far. Allowing this to play out and to see how it goes in Europe seems like a better idea than to give in to fear of the labelers in the media.

  26. I was thinking of moving there but now have decided not to. You supervisors are complete idiots. I hope you find that when the attacks begin that you are the ones in front shielding the people you serve. You should be removed from office and let someone run the city the right way

    • I don’t think any of this would stick to them. If something bad were to happen, they would just turn it around and say that the problem was not in the letting in of refugees, but rather the system didn’t properly find the right refugees and now they have that fixed, so no problems. It’s just so predictable.

  27. So what is the plan, how are they going to take care of the refugees? L.A. County supervisors can not even take care of our issues with in LA County before creating more.

  28. More of a concern than a few vetted refugees, who will be watched, is that the L.A. Supervisors are pushing a new jail to the Antelope Valley. Jails harm communities and destroy the environment. Where’s the outrage over the proposed Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster? The only possible benefit to the Valley would be a very few more available jobs. There are no plans to assist the families who would move here to be near their incarcerated loved ones with finding work or places to live. Rather than supporting 1,600 more prisoners, we should save our water and other resources for developments that benefit the area.

    The proposed jail is regressive in its policies and ignores research for best outcomes for prisoners and society. So, the jail would not even benefit the prisoners, must less the Antelope Valley.

    • You do realize that Mira Loma Detention a center already exist right? It’s at the corner of 60th and Avenue I. For the last like 10 years it was a INS ( immigration ) detention center ran by INS and LA Sheriffs.

      • The county was supposed to turn the Mira Loma Detention center into a homeless shelter. The only homeless shelters and resources in the Antelope Valley are in Lancaster. That may be why there are so many homeless people in Lancaster.

        • According to the Mayor and Vice Mayor, there are so many homeless people in town because 67 homeless a day were being sent to Lancaster from Los Angeles. Over a year’s time that would put 24,000 homeless in our city. Will Mira Loma hold so many? I hope so, so the Mayor’s wife can get back to shopping on the BLVD. I guess the homeless like the BLVD, too, with all its shops, homeless services, mental illness services, food distribution, shelter, tattoo parlors and all the BLVD has to offer.

        • There are so many homeless people in Lancaster because the good ol’ boys put all the services together and made sure that their pals like Frankie could rent out his property to a steady renter like the government. Terrible planning by the Lancaster power brokers who don’t care about us. All they care about is lining their pockets. Then they cry like babies that the homeless are coming, the homeless are coming. What were they expecting, tourists from the San Fernando Valley to come by the thousands on the train to see the ‘destination for their senses’?

  29. We live in different time, and totatally agree with Mike Antonovich. We also have a president that so unamerican and full of hate for our country. Why so many fear to speak their mind about him is just mind boggling to me. We must protect our country by all means! I fear that that these kinds of terrorists type of attaks are beginning. We should also be mindful of these weak politicians and vote them out of office.

    • Where is this “fear to speak their mind” about the president? The lunatic fringe have spouted inanities about him from the day he declared his candidacy right up to the present. The nonsense in your own post about “unamerican” and “full of hate for our country” is a perfect example.

  30. Ridley-Thomas and Kuehl are you two insane after what happened in San Bernardino. I you put them in the Antelope Valley I am moving out of Calif….I say if a terror attack comes to LA County the responsibility is on you. Only Christians are persecuted in Muslim Countries Muslims are not. My husband is an Egyptian Christian and has been here legally since the 60’s he knows what it is to live in a country where you are persecuted. We can’t believe you did this. You need to ask your self why the Muslims are not going to other Muslim Countries. Because they want to invade and take us over. They come with their 4 wives saying they are their daughters, have as many children as possible and eventually overtake you, then you get Sharia Law and your enslaved. Egypt use to be all Christian until they came into the country and took it over from within. The Quran in Arabic is not the same one in English it is called Tikkia means to lie to the Infidel (us) to further the cause of Islam. Do your homework!

    • Amen, Linda! Well said! The only one with a brain is Mike Antonivitch. Ridley-Thomas & Kuehl must be removed & replaced with people with common sense. Same with Mayor Garcetti! I live in the Antelope Valley & would like to take my son, whom I homeschool, on field trips to the museums, etc in LA but I’m hesitant due tmsafety reasons. There are already a multitude of sleeper cells of Muslim extremists just waiting to stoke with terrorism. If they are Syrian Christians & it’s VERIFIED they are Christians, then I would consider. These are scary people & even more scary times. And Linda, I remember your husband building the Adobe type houses in Hesperia. I lived in Apple Valley from 1980 until 2007. I didn’t know you were over here now.

      • Right! Christians only! That’s the American way!!!

        Oh.

        Wait.

        No, it actually isn’t. Not even close. It’s somewhat frightening that your kids are homeschooled, apparently by you.

    • I hope Parris gets locked up for any harm done to any Sikhs or Muslims on account of his inflammatory rhetoric.

  32. The government couldn’t vett ONE crazy woman in San Bernardino and here we are going to IMPORT thousands more. If ONE American Citizen is harmed the blood will be on your hands Ridley-Thomas and Kuehl. Toma called it a “policy to discriminate”. It would have been a policy to protect American Citizens. WE come first. How much are my property taxes going to be going up so these “refugees” can live a better life than I?

    • Chris Americans are being harmed by Americans. The God loving christian that shot up planned parenthood was American. Thecwhite supremacist that killed people in south carolina was American. The idiot that did ghe shooting in the Colorado theater was American. The Sandyhook masacre was an American. So stop with the nonesense.