An Escondido City Council member withdrew her support Wednesday for an update on the Police Department’s shooting range contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The item was to have been placed on a future agenda for public discussion, but that won’t happen now.
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“Last week, I seconded a motion to have an update on the Escondido Police Department shooting range contract with (Homeland Security Investigations),” Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald said. “And since then, I researched some of the emails and found that the city attorney did email the information that I was seeking. So, I will be withdrawing my motion.”
Escondido awarded a one-year contract to the Department of Homeland Security in January for $22,500 with two optional one-year extensions for a potential total of $67,500. The contract was approved without the need to go to the City Council because it was below the threshold that required council approval.
The community has repeatedly called on the city to cancel the contract, citing aggressive tactics used by federal agents during immigration enforcement raids. But a majority of the council decided in February against taking any action. Councilmember Consuelo Martinez was the sole vote in support of terminating the contract.
Martinez made a motion at the Oct. 30 meeting for the council to hear an update on the contract. Fitzgerald supported the motion, and the item was to appear on a future agenda.
City policy says an item can only be placed on the agenda by the mayor, city staff or a council member if they receive support from the mayor or another council member.
When Fitzgerald announced Wednesday that she was withdrawing her motion, Martinez asked other members of the council if they would support her motion. None did.
“My colleague didn’t have the courtesy to give me a heads-up, so I just learned along with the public that she was changing her mind on that,” Martinez said following the meeting.
“It’s very disappointing, especially because today there was a lot of ICE activity in our city. So, it’s the reality that I see and I just can’t ignore it. It’s a disservice to our community to ignore and pretend like this is not happening in our own backyard, in our city.”
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