THE BUZZ: TO THE TRENCHES — As President Donald Trump and Republicans lead a multi-front assault on sanctuary-city laws, local officials in San Francisco are digging in for battle. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to reaffirm their support for a decades-old policy designed to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation by prohibiting law enforcement and other city employees from cooperating with federal authorities. In doing so, San Francisco effectively renewed its vows as a sanctuary city — a heavily symbolic poke in the eye to Trump. Trump and his allies have unleashed on sanctuary locales like San Francisco — and the entire state of California — over the past nine days, threatening to prosecute police who don’t assist with deportations and to withhold federal funding. On Tuesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced "Kate's Law," a proposed immigration crackdown inspired by the death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle, who was killed on a San Francisco pier in 2015 by an undocumented man with a criminal history. The case put the city’s longstanding immigrant protections under a harsh national spotlight — a moment that Republicans are keen to revisit. But Tuesday’s vote in San Francisco is likely just an opening act for city leaders who say they’ll fight to defend the 1989 sanctuary policy. Earlier in the day, nearly every local elected official in town attended a pro-sanctuary rally on the steps of City Hall, standing alongside nearly 100 union workers from SEIU Local 87, which represents janitorial workers. Emotions were high, amplified by rumblings of ICE agents visiting downtown office buildings in the city — though no raids have been confirmed. The city’s three top law-enforcement officials — District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Police Chief Bill Scott and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto — vowed not to work with ICE agents, as required by city and state law (though both include exceptions for serious felonies). Jenkins, a moderate Democrat who helped oust progressive former DA Chesa Boudin in a 2022 recall, said her office is assuring immigrants, especially victims of crime, that they are “doing nothing in coordination with any federal immigration enforcement whatsoever.” Mayor Daniel Lurie, who took office three weeks ago, spoke briefly but avoided mentioning Trump by name or using the phrase “sanctuary city,” unlike other city leaders. Lurie was at the rally for about five minutes and swiftly left after his remarks. “We stand with you, you belong here,” Lurie told the crowd. In a news release the night before, Lurie’s office downplayed his appearance at the rally, instead highlighting other press events to promote his proposal to combat fentanyl addiction. His office said he would not sign the sanctuary resolution — which can take effect without his signature — saying that it’s the mayor’s policy “not to comment or act on urging resolutions.” His more cautious response mirrors that of many other Democratic elected leaders across the country who’ve been reluctant to do battle with Trump over immigration. But the moderate Democrat could soon face growing pressure to go further from the city’s sizable progressive base. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission District (historically an immigrant neighborhood), is proposing that the city, which faces a nearly $1 billion deficit, divert additional funding to legal aid programs for undocumented people. “If this city has money for luxury real-estate developers,” Fielder told cheering union workers, “it has money … to provide the resources that our immigrant community deserves.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@politico.com and bjones@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. DON’T MISS IT: POLITICO AT USC — Join POLITICO’s own Chris Cadelago, Sasha Issenberg and Jonathan Martin alongside other political luminaries like James Carville and Reince Priebus at USC’s annual Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics on Thursday, Jan. 30. Throughout the day, panelists from politics, government, media and academia will discuss “The Trumping of America: Why and What’s Next.” Please register via Zoom.
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