October 8, 2025
Santa Barbara, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2025) – The Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors yesterday postponed a decision on a plan to disenroll thousands of immigrants from its public health clinics and try to move them to other providers.
Dozens of Immigrant rights and labor advocates, including 805 Immigrant Coalition, CAUSE, Central Coast Labor Council, SEIU Local 721, SEIU Local 620, AFSCME Local 3930/UDW and the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), rallied before the meeting and spoke during public comment to oppose the proposal.
As many as 7,500 patients and their families could have been impacted by the plan, which was proposed by county health officials due to a recent Trump administration policy change. However, that policy change has been enjoined by a federal district court that found the suing states, including California and 20 other states, were likely to win the lawsuit.
As part of the plan, the county also planned to layoff more than 100 frontline workers who provide vital health and social services, including nurses, medical assistants, administrators and educators.
After the supervisors’ meeting the advocates issued the following statements:
“We thank the board of supervisors for pausing this proposal, which would have placed immigrant community members at risk and jeopardized access to care for thousands of Santa Barbara residents, while cutting essential frontline jobs,” said CIPC Policy Director Joshua Stehlik. “We look forward to working closely with the supervisors, the county department of public health, and state lawmakers to develop a fair, sustainable solution that protects all communities — including immigrant families who are vital to Santa Barbara’s health and well-being.”
“We appreciate Supervisor Laura Capps’ leadership in calling for more time to review this proposal,” said Fund for Santa Barbara Executive Director Eder Gaona-Macedo. “Our undocumented neighbors are also taxpayers and deserve a voice in decisions that directly affect their health and livelihoods. Given the differing legal interpretations and the potential harm to both community members and county employees, we welcome the board’s commitment to carefully study the injunction and fully understand the community impacts before moving forward.”
“When labor and immigrant rights stand together, we remind those in power that our communities are not expendable,” said 805 UndocuFund Executive Director Primitiva Hernandez. “The voices of those most impacted must lead — decisions about us cannot be made without us.”
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