Of all the tangents Santa Maria leaders veered into while discussing a resolution to support immigrants, nostalgia for the 1950s was one of the most disheartening, an Oxnard official stated.
“People need to really think more critically about romanticizing that era,” Oxnard City Council Member Gabe Teran said in a Facebook thread.
Teran was referring to a comment Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino made during her council’s Feb. 3 meeting.
“Seeing what’s happened to Santa Maria, … people say to me, we would like Santa Maria back where it was in 1955 or something—when it was a small, lazy little town,” Patino said, after describing recent demonstrations in town protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity and asking city officials to show solidarity.
“I think it’s really sad when I see people out there yelling and screaming,” she said. “We’re not the bad guys. We really are not the bad guys.”
Oxnard Councilmember Teran commented: “It’s highly likely that none of the current [Santa Maria] council would have been able to sit in those seats during that time,” and added that some cities “still had homes with deed restrictions that prohibited selling to families of color” during the ’50s.
His comment was a response to a Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) Facebook post about the Santa Maria City Council. The local nonprofit described various snippets of Patino’s commentary as “horrendous.”
Comments on the thread ranged from critical to messages of support for Patino, who also said she worried for ICE agents, police officers, and firefighters’ safety during “violent protests” across the country.
“Good for Alice, standing up for ICE and our law enforcement officers,” Bob Boggess commented.
“I stand with Alice Patino,” Connie Avila commented, followed by the clasped prayer hands emoji, an American flag, and a heart.
During the council’s Feb. 3 meeting, Councilmember Gloria Soto said she was “extremely underwhelmed” with the 190-word resolution staff drafted to formalize the city’s “support for immigrant residents of Santa Maria,” as it’s subtitled.
“It lacks showcasing the fear and instability that ICE has caused in our community,” Soto said. “It doesn’t state anywhere on this resolution that we as a council are prohibiting any type of city resources, staffing, or facilities from being used for ICE enforcement.”
After Soto pitched amendments to the resolution, Patino said no matter what the council agrees to add, it’s up to federal officials to resolve issues related to immigration enforcement.
“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a huge surgical wound. … This really takes action for our leaders at the federal level,” Patino said. “When I saw millions of people coming across the border through the last administration, and they were never vetted, I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. What is that going to mean to all of us?’”
The Sun reached out to Patino for additional comments, but did not receive a response before press time.
With a 4-1 vote (Soto dissented), the council ultimately adopted city staff’s resolution as it was presented, without any of Soto’s suggested revisions.
Two days after the vote, Soto shared more of her thoughts about the resolution and the council’s discussion on her Facebook page.
“Hurtful comments were made that expressed sympathy toward, and appeared to justify, violent ICE actions. That rhetoric causes real harm to immigrant families in our community who are already living in fear,” Soto posted on Feb. 5. “I could not support a watered-down resolution when it became clear that its intent was not shared or upheld. Standing with and in support of immigrants requires clarity, consistency, and the courage to reject harm—not excuse it.”
This article appears in February 12 – February 19, 2026.