Residents press council on ICE operations, towing transparency and lost rent protections

Multiple residents used the public-comment period at the April 13 Upland City Council meeting to press elected officials on immigration enforcement, towing practices, housing and local opportunity programs.

Tina Silva urged the council to take concrete steps to protect residents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, asked the city to create a local support fund for families affected by ICE similar to Pomona's compassion fund, and requested a policy prohibiting ICE staging on city property. Silva also asked the city not to contract with companies that support immigration-enforcement activities and said some residents fear data sharing via Flock cameras.

Victor Flores described a towing incident involving his 2022 Ford Bronco and said he was not properly notified; he said a sergeant suggested a records request but that the warnings he saw did not match his vehicle. He asked the council to ensure transparency and that police follow procedures when taking citizen property.

Sarah L. asked the council to reconsider the repeal of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (omnibus ordinance 1997), saying the repeal was not clearly noted on agendas or in minutes, that affected mobile-home residents were not notified, and that the city website still referenced the older ordinance months after the vote. She urged the council to reinstate protections for elderly and fixed-income residents who live in mobile-home parks.

Other speakers urged makerspace and workforce supports, thanked the council for visible improvements and police enforcement near a school crosswalk, and raised technical questions about meeting visuals and SB707 in relation to public-comment displays.

Council members thanked the speakers and noted staff follow-up where appropriate; no formal council action was taken on these public comments at the meeting.