Former Los Alamitos mayor who helped lead push against state sanctuary law picked for federal job

Former Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar, who last year led his city to defy California’s sanctuary law – sparking similar efforts statewide  – is President Trump’s choice to be the next chief financial officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to serve at a national level and serve with a great organization like Homeland Security,” Edgar said Friday.

Trump nominated Edgar on Thursday. His nomination needs to clear the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and then head for a vote before the full Senate. The nomination is not expected to undergo a hearing, said David Popp, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Last year, Edgar was possibly the most visible spokesman against California’s SB-54 law, which protects some people living in the country illegally by limiting cooperation between local law enforcement with federal immigration agents. Edgar went on national and international media to speak against it and was invited to the White House several times, including a round-table talk with President Trump.

Those meet-and-greet opportunities helped Edgar establish relationships in D.C., though he believes his work experience — as an executive and a consultant — is why he’s being pushed for the job.

“This is more suited to what I do professionally than what I do politically.”

Edgar, 52, owns two companies: Global Conductor Construction Corp., which works with telecommunications, electrical and other companies, and Global Conductor Inc., which provides management consulting services.

He served on the Los Alamitos City Council for 12 years, three times as mayor. He also has served on other boards, including two years as chair of the Orange County Sanitation District.

Edgar’s tenure on the Los Alamitos Council included a years-long period in which the council was split over various issues.  But none of those issues brought as much attention as the city’s vote last spring to essentially “opt-out” of California’s sanctuary law.

The two city meetings that ended with a 4-1 vote in favor of Los Alamitos opting out of state law drew hundreds of vocal supporters and opponents. Similar meetings soon were held in cities throughout California, as local officials weighed taking a stance – usually just a symbolic statement vote – for or against a state law that was, and remains, on the books.

The move in Los Alamitos, however, was more than symbolic.  Under Edgar, Los Alamitos established a city ordinance that opposes the state law. That ordinance drew a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, among others and the legal fight has cost the small city more than $100,000. The lawsuit involving Los Alamitos is on hold, pending results of a separate case involving neighboring Huntington Beach and its own move opposing the state sanctuary law.