The Oroville City Council in California voted 6-1 on Nov. 2 to declare itself a "constitutional republic city" and said it would not enforce "any executive orders issued by the state of California or by the United States federal government that are overreaching or clearly violate our constitutionally protected rights," according to the East Bay Times (EBT).
The resolution is meant to "reaffirm to people what type of government we live under," Mayor Chuck Reynolds said, per the EBT.
Oroville Vice Mayor Scott Thomson requested the broad measure, which is not tied to a specific Biden administration mandate. Thomson told KRCR the move is in response to "the large amount of mandates that are affecting every aspect of our lives and our kids' lives."
"What we are doing is protecting our citizens' rights as much as we can on the local level ... in a way, we are acting as a sanctuary city for our citizens and their rights and freedoms protected by the U.S. and state constitutions," he told Fox News Digital.
The resolution states that the city believes "in the separation of powers, individual rights, and the rule of law outlined in the United States Constitution, including the freedom for local government to have local control over issues related to the citizens who reside within the City's jurisdictional boundaries."
City Attorney Scott Huber said the resolution could be modified at any time and that it will not put the city at risk of losing funding.
"I am quite certain that this would not result in any loss of funding for the city," Huber told KRCR. "In the event that it could in the future, you could revise this and do what you will, but this is not going to put it jeopardy any state or federal funding."
California has issued repeated mandates regarding COVID-19. The state became the first in the nation last month to announce a student vaccination mandate for public schools.
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