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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Santa Barbara County residents are invited to participate in a community forum about a California law called the TRUTH Act and the access local governments may provide to federal immigration authorities.
The TRUTH Act Forum will take place during the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the County Administration Building Board Hearing Room on the fourth floor 105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The Board of Supervisors meeting will start at 9 a.m. The public may participate virtually, or in person. Information on methods of Participation can be found online at the following website, | Santa Barbara County, CA – Official Website
The TRUTH Act’s longer name is the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act. Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2792 into law on September 28, 2016. It pertains to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency and its access to individuals who have come in contact with law enforcement. The TRUTH Act requires local governing bodies, in which local law enforcement has provided any ICE access to an individual, to hold a community forum to receive and consider public comment.
At the forum, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office plans to share data it maintains regarding the number and demographic characteristics of individuals to whom the agency has provided any ICE access, the date ICE access was provided, and whether the ICE access was provided through a hold, transfer, or notification request or through other means. Data may be provided in the form of statistics or, if statistics are not maintained, individual records, provided that personally identifiable information shall be redacted.
For the year 2024, ICE made inquiries or requests for access to 229 inmates. 190 of these inquiries did not qualify per SB54 as exceptions to the TRUST Act and, accordingly, no response was provided to ICE. The remaining 39 inmates qualified for notification per SB54 as exceptions to the TRUST Act, and responses were sent to ICE. Of these 39 inmates, only 13 were re-arrested by ICE officers after they were released from Sheriff’s Office custody.
In accordance with Government Code section 7283.1(d), notification of the forum will be provided to the public with at least 30 days’ notice, by a newspaper of general circulation adjudicated by the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors Office.
Anyone interested in the matter is invited to speak in support or opposition. Written comments are also welcome and can be sent to: Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, c/o Clerk of the Board, 105 East Anapamu Street, 4th Floor, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, or contact the Clerk of the Board at (805) 568-2240 for alternative options. Written comments can also be emailed to sbcob@countyofsb.org.
Please see the posted Agenda, Board Letter, and related documents for this item available on the Thursday prior to the hearing at https://santabarbara.legistar.com/calendar.aspx.
On-site Spanish translators will provide interpretation services for Spanish-only speaking individuals through headsets available for real-time interpretation of the TRUTH Act forum. Spanish translators will also be available to interpret public comments that may come in in-person or via Zoom.
Please contact the Clerk of the Board’s Office at (805) 568-2240 for general questions with the following:
- Participating in the meeting telephonically or electronically
- A disability-related modification or accommodation
- Any issues attempting to access the hearing telephonically or electronically
Residents may watch the live stream of the Board meetings in the following ways:
- Televised in English and Spanish (SAP channel via Comcast and Cox) on local cable channel 20.
- Online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV-Livestream; and
- YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20 (Closed Captioning Available on YouTube)
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisor meetings are available in Spanish. Watch live on our https://www.youtube.com/@csbtv20espanol74/featured, or Cable TV subscribers can access Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) in language settings.
