Trump, ICE, and local law enforcement: A year reporting on immigration for The Press Democrat.

by Nick Rahaim on April 6, 2018September 30, 2021

In the following months the politically liberal, yet agricultural, Sonoma County in Northern California passed resolutions to protect undocumented immigrants.

The sheriff promised to restrict cooperation with ICE agents at the county jail but never did. My reporting on that fact forced the Sheriff’s Office to moved quick, getting ahead of the “Sanctuary state” bill in Sacramento. The Trump Administration took notice and repeatedly attacked the county in both rhetoric and action for months.

Sonoma County law chiefs steer clear of state and federal feud (March 7, 2018)
Trump administration threatens to subpoena Sonoma County (Jan. 24, 2018)
Sparring between California and feds reaches new level (Jan. 20, 2018)
ICE chief slams Sonoma County sheriff’s immigration policy on Fox News (Jan. 3, 2018)
ICE statement about recent arrest ‘misleading and inflammatory’ (Oct. 19, 2017)
‘Sanctuary state’ law doesn’t spell significant change for law enforcement (Oct. 5, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office watchdog under scrutiny (Sept. 16, 2017)
Recent killing by immigrant puts Sonoma County & ICE at odds (Aug. 30, 2017)
ICE flagged Santa Rosa man two weeks before he allegedly killed girlfriend (Aug. 21, 2017)
Sheriff’s Office to limit ICE cooperation at Sonoma County Jail (Aug. 13, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office still notifying ICE on inmate releases (Aug. 5, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office still notifying ICE on inmates (May 10, 2017)
Hundreds march in Santa Rosa in honor of Cesar Chavez (April 2, 2017)
Sonoma County law enforcement chiefs detail immigration policies (Feb. 25, 2017)
1,000s skip school, work to support ‘Day Without Immigrants’ (Feb. 16, 2017)
‘Day Without Immigrants’ protest to counter President Trump (Feb. 15, 2017)

Monterey County Weekly: A look inside the California Electoral College vote.

by Nick Rahaim on December 20, 2016January 2, 2017

Sitting in a cafe a block from the Capitol building in Sacramento just after 11am on Dec. 19, Vinz Koller anxiously monitors Electoral College votes on the East Coast. He’s contemplating committing a crime in a few hours, by voting against the will of the people in the state of California with his vote in the Electoral College.

The staunch partisan and outgoing chair of the Monterey County Democratic Party supported Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But, in a last-ditch effort to block the presumptive President-elect Donald Trump from ascending to the White House, Koller has fashioned himself as a “Hamilton Elector.”

The goal, spurred by Texas Republican and elector Christopher Suprun, is to get 37 electors for Trump in red states to cast their ballot for someone else, thereby blocking the 270 electoral votes needed to get the presidency. If that were to happen, the president would be decided on Jan. 6 by the U.S. House of Representatives, which would choose from the top three Electoral College vote getters.

Monterey County Weekly: Millennials can swing elections this year, but will they vote?

by Nick Rahaim on March 19, 2016March 19, 2016

This year millennials will match the Baby Boomers, those between 52 and 70 years old, as the generation with the largest pool of eligible voters. By 2020 they’re projected to be the largest by a margin of 6 percent. They have also replaced Generation X, 36 – to 51-year-olds, as the largest generation in the U.S. workforce.

It’s a generation born into high healthcare costs, skyrocketing student debt and a more fragmented job market that pushes precarious, gig-based work as opposed to the steady jobs known to previous generations.

But it remains to be seen if this generation will throw its weight around and help shape the results of this year’s presidential, state and local elections.