Malibu city officials have removed a mock sign poking fun at the city’s decision to declare itself a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. The placard, which looked legit and even bore the city seal, read: “OFFICIAL SANCTUARY CITY ‘Cheap Nannies and Gardeners Make Malibu Great!’ (Boyle Heights Not So Much).”
The sign got plenty of laughing emojis on Twitter, but city officials aren’t amused.
“…It’s very disheartening that anyone would put up such an ugly sign,” said Councilwoman Laura Rosenthal, who first introduced the sanctuary measure.
The placard appears to be a reference to a letter Rosenthal read before the vote last month.
“Our city depends on a Hispanic population to support our comfortable lifestyle,” read the statement from a (presumably wealthy) city resident. “Do we not owe them what comfort and protections that are possible in these challenging times?”
Unlike the affluent and majority white city of Malibu, the L.A. community of Boyle Heights has a large Latino population. Most of its residents are working class.
The sardonic sign was removed Wednesday, but another has since been spotted elwewhere in the city. Rosenthal said the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.