Sanctuary cities in Idaho? Say it ain't so!

Daily Digest 5/6/26

I was on assignment yesterday, so apologies for no daily digest. This morning, however, I published an expose on Homedale Chief of Police Jeff Eidemiller, who issued orders to his personnel earlier this year restricting them from cooperating with ICE:

Despite Chief Eidemiller’s claim that Homedale already cooperates with ICE, the Chronicle has obtained a memo he sent to his staff on January 19 of this year. In it, he emphasized that his department is not an active partner with ICE through the 287(g) program, and further directed that officers and staff are not to gather or disseminate intelligence, or use any city-owned equipment, to support investigations by outside agencies.

The memo concludes with a warning that any deviation from these orders could result in disciplinary action.

Still following the money

I hope you are finding Tim Oren’s weekly column useful and informative. During the session, he was able to analyze developing factions in the Legislature, and now he’s taking a close look at where campaign cash is going. This week, he looked at where some of Idaho’s biggest PACs are getting their money:

Anyone who’s been pelted with election mailers and glanced at the return address, or listened to an ad long enough to get to the ‘paid for’ bit, knows the direct contributions to candidates that I’ve featured in this column are only a portion of the Idaho primary scene. A large fraction of the cash flow and spending goes through PACs – political action committees, where the rules on contribution limits and disclosure are looser. A scan of Sunshine-documented donations to PACs from the 2025 election to May 1^st came up with 159 unique organizations, with totals ranging from $2 to over three million.

White elephants on parade

Bannock County’s Brian Parsons explains how to identify moderate Republicans masquerading as conservatives:

Most recently, Bannock residents may have noticed the white elephant showing up on Precinct Committeeman signs around town. It is an interesting choice, given the connotations of a joke played on unwitting participants. In this case, many of the unwitting are both candidates and voters. A recent list of white elephant candidates is circulating, claiming to represent a common-sense slate. Some unfortunate inclusions have seen themselves roped in with active “No Kings” and anti-ICE voices. There is nothing either Republican or common sense about liberals larping as conservatives.

Some press releases

• Secretary of State Phil McGrane announces election deadlines

• Congressman Mike Simpson wants fake meat properly labeled

• Attorney General Raúl Labrador wins money for Idaho

• Gov. Brad Little lauds a report showing Idaho is among the least-taxed states

As always, stay tuned for more. Welcome to all the new subscribers, and thank you to those who have been here for the long haul!

Remember to make a plan to vote, whether by mail, early, or on Election Day on May 19. Early voting is going on most everywhere now.

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Please reach out if you have a small business and want to partner with the Gem State Chronicle. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!