Overview
- Kendrick, a 24-year council veteran and San Diego County’s longest-serving GOP municipal officeholder, changed his registration and publicly filed paperwork on Monday.
- He pointed to recent immigration actions, including the ICE-related killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, as his breaking point.
- He opposed El Cajon’s non‑sanctuary resolution and earlier proposals for local police cooperation with ICE, and he recently joined anti‑ICE protesters at City Hall.
- The San Diego County Democratic Party welcomed his switch, while Mayor Bill Wells criticized it as disingenuous and defended policies including sharing ALPR data with federal agencies.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued El Cajon over ALPR data-sharing practices, and Kendrick—who won 85% in his last race—plans a November re‑election bid as the council’s lone Democrat.