Opinion: How does board’s posturing on immigration
policy help county?
By Mayor Rebecca Jones
When you live in California, there’s a double-edged sword. We’re blessed
with world-renowned beach weather, nature’s beauty and abundant natural
resources, but we’re also burdened by excessive regulations, costly state
mandates and federal policies that leave us paying exorbitant prices for
everyday essentials — from housing and utilities to basic groceries and gas.
These rising costs aren’t just numbers on a receipt; they’re daily stressors
for hardworking families. As an elected leader, I know and understand my
role: to represent your money wisely and advocate relentlessly for quality of-
life essentials at reasonable prices so that you and our communities thrive
and prosper.
In today’s politically charged environment, it’s key to our lives that local
elected officials are accountable to the fundamental intention of the service
they were hired to do. Are they earnestly serving you or simply posturing
for political optics?
A recent decision by the Board of Supervisors to seek to limit cooperation
between the Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) is just one such localized example. While the move
may have been well-intentioned, it appears to be more about
headlines than helping. Sheriff Kelly Martinez took a
principled stand, emphasizing that she must follow the law,
not engage in political grandstanding and headline clickbait.
She believes current state law already offers a reasonable
balance that maintains public safety. When politicians start “virtue
signaling” with policies they cannot enforce, they create confusion, erode
trust and ultimately fail the people they are meant to serve.
Elected officials should focus on what truly matters: managing essential
infrastructure, keeping us safe by respecting the law, advocating for quality
of life programs and providing excellent customer service. That’s how you
maintain public confidence — not by overstepping legal boundaries or
engaging in political theater, but by staying grounded in your role as a
public servant.
In San Marcos, for over 18 years, I’ve focused on the efforts that matter to
our residents. We keep our government efficient, responsive and serviceminded.
Working with my City Council, we consistently reject polarizing
protestors who seek attention on our agenda with issues outside our
governing, avoid unnecessary dramatics, and work collaboratively to create
an environment where residents and businesses succeed, despite
government. We do our jobs so they can do theirs.
This approach has made San Marcos a place where community trust and
personal prosperity go hand in hand. It’s a model of leadership that
prioritizes people over politics, results over rhetoric. If more elected leaders
committed to transparency, restraint, and servant leadership — especially
here in California — we could begin to chip away at the cost burdens and
policy confusion that too often get in the way of your prosperity.
Hey, all you elected officials, keep your eyes on the road! Serve as a
fiduciary. We can build a California where success isn’t stifled by
regulation, but supported by sensible, grounded governance.
Jones is mayor of San Marcos, where she previously was deputy mayor and
a council member. She is as a member of the San Diego Association of
Governments’ Board of Directors.
Jones fails to condemn
the Super Sanctuary
Policy or to say she
opposes it in any way
during the entire article.
The Super Sanctuary
Policy seeks to provide
“sanctuary” for dozens
of CONVICTED
murderers, rapists,
child molesters and
other violent felons
each year.
She is a weak leader who
does not speak with
clarity. Instead she
attempts to avoid a
controversy by refusing
to confront a policy that
is obviously wrong.
She describes as
“principled,” Democrat
Kelly Martinez’s view
that the Sanctuary
State Law, SB54 (Which
is the “existing law that
she is referring to)
“oers a reasonable
balance that maintains
public safety.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/21/opinion-howdoes-
boards-posturing-on-immigration-policy-help-county/