Temecula is drawing a lot of attention this week. Not for its picturesque old town or wine country, but for a proposal made by Councilmember Jessica Alexander.
"Let us be our first city in California to make a stand, let's mark our city as a sanctuary city for Temecula’s unborn," Alexander said at the end of a Sept. 13 City Council meeting.
Tuesday night, the Temecula City Council will consider whether to put that proposal on a future agenda.
Still, the matter caught the eye of California's Attorney General Rob Bonta. He sent the council a warning letter Friday, which said, "Any attempt by the City of Temecula to limit an individual’s ability to exercise their right to reproductive choice and bodily autonomy would be a violation of state law."
The letter ended by saying his office would not hesitate to take legal action.
Bonta's office declined an interview but sent KPBS a copy of the letter, saying they would let it speak for itself.
KPBS also sought interviews with city officials, including Alexander, but none made themselves available. An assistant to the city manager sent KPBS an email saying this is simply a resolution proposed for a future date, and tonight council members could choose to take several courses of action, including placing the proposal on the agenda for a vote in the future. Or they could do nothing at all.
Last month, the San Clemente City Council voted not to docket a similar proposal.
Alexander has taken controversial stands in the past. In June, she objected to Temecula's recognition of Pride Month, saying “conversations about an individual’s sexual orientation has no place on the dais.”
She has also objected to COVID-19 restrictions, as a candidate and as a council member.
In 2021, she compared the refusal to wear a mask in response to COVID-19 to Rosa Parks giving up her seat on a bus, and she defended an email in which she called the coronavirus "the China virus."
The council meeting begins at 6 p.m.
