Inland Empire Groups Assisting in the Repeal California’s New Sanctuary State Law

REDLANDS – A half dozen Inland Empire groups have pledged to collect thousands of signatures as part of a statewide to repeal the recently signed “Sanctuary State” law.

“We’re under no illusion about how tough this will be,” said John Berry, cabinet member for the Redlands Tea Party Patriots, one of a half dozen participating groups. “An illegal alien nearly killed me in a collision five weeks before my son was born, so I understand the urgency of the repeal effort and the sheer stupidity of the new law.”

The “Sanctuary State” law provides protection to criminal illegals by prohibiting local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal enforcement on some immigration matters. Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 54 into law on Oct. 5.

The Inland Empire groups are based in Redlands, Fontana, Mountain View, Chino, Banning, and Beaumont. These groups are experienced in petition collection.

Ben Bergquam, spokesman for the SB 54 effort, will address the Redlands Tea Party Patriots at their Nov. 2 meeting at the Mill Creek Cattle Co. 1874 Mentone Blvd., in Mentone. The 7 p.m. meeting lasts two hours and is free and open to the public.

“I’ve got people reaching out to me from across the state; we’ve got to show that this (recall effort) is doable,” Bergquam said. “We’ve to a campfire burning, but we’ve got to turn it into a wildfire.”

Bergquam needs to collect nearly 368,000 valid signatures within 90 days of the governor’s signature. Berquam said the state’s attorney general and secretary of state each get 10 days with the petition language, so in reality, he said, his group will have about 65 days to collect signatures.

Berquam is a radio talk show host of “Frontline Radio” on AM 1680 in Fresno. He is travelling the state as part of an effort to raise awareness, volunteers, and donations.

If the recall effort succeeds, then the new law will be placed on hold until California voters decide its fate as a ballot proposition in 2018.

The groups participating in the recall effort include the Redlands Tea Party Patriots, the Banning-Beaumont Cherry Valley Tea Party Patriots, Mountain View Republican women, We the People Rising, the Freedom Tea Party Patriots and the Chino Tea Party Patriots.

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