Posted on 08/09/2006 10:04:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
An initiative to create a statewide border police force failed in its second effort to get on the ballot and appears to be headed for California's political dustbin. The Border Police Initiative fell far short of the 373,816 signatures needed to make it on the November ballot, according to the California Secretary of State's Office -- short by 373,816 signatures.
"The counties did not submit any petitions for verification," said Nghia Nguyen, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.
The proposal was the brainchild of Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Temecula, who launched a signature-gathering effort last year.
Haynes, who did not return calls seeking comment, sought the creation of a statewide police force similar to the Highway Patrol whose job would be to enforce immigration law in California's interior.
"They would be throughout the state," he said in a previous interview. "There would be employer enforcement, which the federal government doesn't do."
The initiative's failure is the latest example of immigration-related proposals announced with fanfare last year which fizzled months down the road.
In December, the House of Representatives approved a plan that would have established harsh penalties for employers who hire from the pool of about 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., and would have made being an undocumented immigrant an aggravated felony. A later version in the Senate included a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
But neither of those bills has been sent to the president's desk, and experts believe it's unlikely they will be before the end of the current session.
While those proposals seized on growing public sentiment that the nation's immigration system needs drastic reform, the Border Police Initiative failed because it didn't have the support of the governor, said Chino activist Andy Ramirez.
"This governor has absolutely no interest in this issue," said Ramirez, head of Friends of the Border Patrol, an organization that has held volunteer border watches in the past. "He should. It's a war zone on the border."
Local or state police officers can enforce immigration law if they've been trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the same law, sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties now check the immigration status of suspects being held in county jail.
"This governor has absolutely no interest in this issue," said Ramirez, head of Friends of the Border Patrol, an organization that has held volunteer border watches in the past. "He should. It's a war zone on the border."
CA: Initiative falls short by 100,000 (would have called for a state border-police) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537854/posts
Posted by NormsRevenge
On News/Activism ^ 12/10/2005 10:09:34 AM PST · 15 replies · 451+ views
Riverside Press-Enterprise ^ | 12/10/05 | Jim Miller
The initiative procees in Ca requires a ton of money. You hire signature gatherers and pay them per sig. I never saw one petition in Northern Ca. They just didn't have the backing needed. This needs to be bankrolled by somebody - hey, maybe one of the many Mexican Billionaires?
I collected signatures for last year's effort. I didn't hear anything about this year and assumed it had been scuttled.
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