September 24, 2025
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Whittier City Council considers protest ‘buffer zone’ outside local homes
Anissa Rivera
UPDATED: September 23, 2025 at 10:43 AM PDT
‘The Whittier City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 23, will consider approving an ordinance that limits how close protesters can picket outside a home, amid critics’ claims a proposed new buffer zone is more about silencing dissent and protecting the city’s mayor than maintaining public safety.
The five-member council will hear a second reading on the ordinance, which the council approved in “urgency” (but temporary) form back on Sept. 9.
Approval would make the ordinance permanent.
Felicia Mora, senior director, media and policy for the Whittier-based National Hispanic Media Coalition, was at the Sept. 9 meeting.
She echoed other public speakers who criticized the council for quickly passing the urgency ordinance, while moving more slowly on a resolution that they said merely asked U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents to unmask and identify themselves.
‘The truth is, Joe Vinatieri isn’t here to protect the community that he took an oath to serve— he’s here to protect himself and his business, the very business that has been protested since the ICE kidnappings began,’ Mora said in a statement.
She added that at the Sept. 9 meeting a man spewed hate speech and made open physical threats to audience members as Vinatieri and the rest of the council members listened.
‘Instead of protecting the children in the room, and the citizens of Whittier, he allowed the hate speech to continue, claiming that everyone must keep a level of ‘decorum’ that apparently includes racial slurs,’ Mora said. ‘But now, when peaceful protest threatens his comfort, his business – suddenly the First Amendment no longer matters?’
Mora questioned why a study was not conducted on the ordinance, similar to what the council directed about an ordinance councilmember Mary Ann Pacheco presented in July requiring ICE agents to unmask and identify themselves.
‘Instead, the ordinance that protected himself and his business was rushed through faster than any other agenda action item,’ Mora said. ‘Creating a 300-foot barrier around homes and businesses strips people of their constitutional right to protest in meaningful, visible ways. This isn’t about public safety – it’s about silencing dissent.’”
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