Sometimes it’s easy to think that California has traveled too far down the road of authoritarianism, but there are pockets of people in the Golden State who still value and fight for freedom. The northern California city of Oroville, about an hour north of Sacramento, is proof that some sensible Californians exist.
The Oroville City Council has done something truly courageous and surprising at the behest of Vice Mayor Scott Thomson. The council nearly unanimously passed a resolution declaring Oroville a “Constitutional Republic City.” The resolution isn’t binding policy, but it serves as a symbolic gesture that Oroville won’t stand for onerous state and federal mandates.
Vice Mayor Scott Thomson, who requested the resolution, says it does not mean they are against laws.
“It’s just basically drawing the line. It’s not necessarily against one specific mandate, we’re not talking about one mandate that’s been pushing on us recently it’s a barrage of mandates.”
One council member asked if the resolution would make a dent in the city’s finances, as Oroville has benefited from about $4.8 million in COVID-related funding since the pandemic began. The city attorney said he didn’t believe the measure would hurt the city’s bank account.
An example he used was when cities passed resolutions declaring themselves ‘sanctuary cities’ violating federal law.
The courts ruled specific actions would need to be taken to lose funding.
“I am quite certain that this would not result in any loss of funding for the city. In the event that it could in the future you could revise this and do what you will but this is not going to put it jeopardy any state or federal funding.”
Another member of the council noted that the resolution wouldn’t apply to or affect school mandates. He also remarked — even as he voted in favor of it — that the measure was a “political statement” that had “absolutely no teeth.”
Only one council member voted against the resolution, which one legal professor says is not binding at all.
UC Davis Law Professor Lisa Pruitt told CBS 13 the resolution likely had no legal basis.
“My sense is the strong presumption would be that the city of Oroville does not have the power to do this,” she told the outlet. ” I see this primarily as a gesture.”
Regardless of whether the measure is just a symbolic statement, it’s a bold one. Good for Oroville’s leaders for standing for freedom.