Posted on 09/26/2003 9:33:03 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Disagreements over Britain's philosophy of taxation without representation in colonial America once spurred Patrick Henry to give his famous speech of 1775, when he issued the battle cry "Give me liberty or give me death."
And while the subsequent Revolutionary War helped liberate a fledgling nation, immigrants stuck in limbo while they wait for citizenship in today's America still face the challenge of not being able to vote even if their children attend public schools.
In a step that could eventually lead to more voting rights for immigrants in The City, Board of Supervisors president Matt Gonzalez has asked City Attorney Dennis Herrera to investigate the possibility of securing a charter amendment that would give non-citizens the right to vote in school board elections.
"We live in a climate of very heavy anti-immigrant sentiment," Gonzalez said during a press conference at City Hall Wednesday.
The proposed amendment would, for example, give voice to many disgruntled non-citizen parents who, for months, have opposed the San Francisco Unified School District's new school assignment process, Gonzalez said.
The process seeks to satisfy a state decree to diversify city schools without using race as a factor. As a result, some students are now required to conduct long commutes to unfamiliar schools across town, causing concern to parents reportedly over their safety and academic equality.
"Not all parents have an equal voice," said school board member Sarah Lipson, who spoke in favor of the proposed charter amendment Wednesday.
A similar ballot-measure attempt to expand non-citizen voting rights in 1996 was shot down by then City Attorney Louise Renne and Superior Court Judge William Cahill on the grounds that it violated the state's constitution.
Gonzalez now hopes that the progressive tides of the current Board of Supervisors, coupled with a new city attorney, will enable the proposed charter amendment to float before voters as early as November 2004.
About 16 percent of San Francisco's residents are not citizens, according to the U.S. Census.
"This is not really a radical concept at all," Gonzalez said, citing similar amendments in cities in Maryland, Illinois, and New York.
How elections would be conducted or how much it would cost the city should voters get a chance to approve the proposed amendment still remains to be seen, Gonzalez said.
Despite the unknowns, many of the non-citizens were heartened by the chance to resurrect the failed non-citizen-voting measure of 1996.
"As we know, parents are the ones who care the most about the future of their children, no matter what their immigration status is," said Angela Chu, who works with many non-citizens at the Chinatown Community Development Center.
The reasoning was wonderful:
-We must be "inclusive"...and...
"They must live under the ordinances that the city council passes; ergo they should be able to vote on city matters."
I think it failed--for the moment.
--Boris
You act like they don't vote already.
They are not citizens. They should be sent back to their home country "while in limbo."
Geeze! - How many times are we going to have to go through this?
Only US CITIZENS can vote!
Were a Non-Citizen/Illegal register to vote in a school board election, then by intent or design they will use it at a state and federal election. You have then corrupted the election process
Like that isn't the intent of the Democrats and the rest of the LOONIE-LEFT!
I don't care one bit that their son is a citizen attending public school, not old enough to vote yet they pay taxes.
If you were here legally and your wife had a child, I can understand just a little, came here illegally, SU! Chose to stay here riding on your Childs citizenship until you earn your citizenship, so long as you are working steady at it I can understand a little bit. Not doing a D**N thing about it or are illegal SU!
Better yet just get out of my house, you weren't invited and you just barged in. D**N IT GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
G-E-T O-U-T!!!
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