Cooper issues statement on California Values Act

— Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, who represents Lodi and Galt, released the following statement regarding the California Values Act:

“Earlier this year, I signed on as a principle co-author on the California Values Act (SB 54) to protect our undocumented residents and to work with Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De León to craft a more-perfect piece of legislation that safeguards the public’s safety while also protecting our immigrants.

“After several months of working with stakeholders, I am proud to announce that we have addressed several of my initial concerns and have amended SB 54 to ensure that we are only protecting California’s law-abiding immigrants.

“California is home to over 2.7 million undocumented residents who contribute over $3 billion in taxes to our state’s economy each year. These residents are our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends. Every lawabiding Californian regardless of their immigration status should rest assure that their civil liberties will be protected, that California, the sixth largest economy in the world, will not use state or local dollars, resources, personnel, or facilities to deport thousands of law-abiding residents that contribute to the social and economic well being of our state.

“The California Values Act will not only protect our most vulnerable residents, but will also protect the public by ensuring that those who commit serious and violent crimes are held accountable.”