Driver's License Test for Schwarzenegger

Los Angeles Times ^ | 10-13-2003 | Frank del Olmo

[boris]

Driver's License Test for Schwarzenegger

How he deals with the controversial law could determine whether divisive politicking returns.

By Frank del Olmo

Now that the recall has succeeded, the new California law allowing illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses will provide one of the first doses of political reality that Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger must face.

How he handles it could determine whether his administration gets along well with the state's emerging majority or stumbles onto the same slippery slope of divisive ethnic politics that poisoned his mentor Pete Wilson's relations with Latinos.

Schwarzenegger needs to rethink his opposition to the law and short-circuit any moves for a referendum or initiative to repeal it. An uncomfortable moment on the campaign trail underscores how important this issue is to Latinos.

[norton]

For those of you outside the nut farm:
We get Del Olmo every week, part of about 3/4 of an editorial page describing all the reasons we need to be nice to mexicans in general and illegal mexicans in particular.

Recall will only make it that much more virulent.

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[JustAnAmerican]

"How he handles it could determine whether his administration gets along well with the state's emerging majority."

This definately shows who runs this paper.

[showme_the_Glory]

How he handles it could determine whether his administration gets along well with the state's emerging majority

Hmmmm "emerging minority" = open border + illegal immigration

[DumpsterDiver]

Schwarzenegger needs to rethink his opposition to the law and short-circuit any moves for a referendum or initiative to repeal it.

If this goes to the old ballot box and the majority of Californian's vote against giving illegals a license, what could Arnold do to "short-circuit" the results? I would hate to see this turn into another Prop 187 fiasco.

[Carry_Okie]

Arnold's opposition to a referendum on SB60 speaks volumes now. That means it is our job to kill this bill regardless of what he says on the topic.

Here is the real deal:

• If the required number of signatures are certified by the first of the year, the law is suspended and nothing happens until the referendum.

• If the required number of signatures are NOT certified by the first of the year, the licenses start to go out and more illegals will show up at the polls in March.

• That means we must have an excess of the number of required signatures counted and in Shelly's hands by (my guess)December 15th.

Petitions are now available. Let's get to work.

[Sabatier]

Just some questions:

What chance would the average US citizen have of getting a driver's license in Mexico? Or Canada? Or any other country?

And if the US issues driver's licenses to Mexicans shouldn't the US also issue them to El Salvadorans, Columbians, Canadians, Danes, Chinese, etc.?

Do other countries routinely issue driver's licenses to non-citizens?

Does being a citizen of the US have any meaning at all?

[Cicero]

"Emerging majority" equals illegal aliens?

I may be wrong, but I think that if this issue is played right, Republicans can only profit by pointing out the difference between legal hispanic citizens and visitors and illegal aliens. Certainly one way to handle it is to point out that giving driver's licenses to criminals, no questions asked, is a terrible security risk. It opens California and the rest of the country to giving IDs to anyone who sneaks over the border--not just Mexicans, either.

I think the legal hispanic citizens in California can also be persuaded that it does them no good to bankrupt the state paying for illegal aliens who contribute little and have no commitment to the community.

[DumpsterDiver]

Arnold's opposition to a referendum on SB60 speaks volumes now. That means it is our job to kill this bill regardless of what he says on the topic.

I agree with you and will be signing the petition, but if it's passed by the voters and gets challenged in court, could Arnold decide to not fight the court challenge? That's what I'm worried about.

[ridesthemiles]

I think the legal hispanic citizens in California can also be persuaded that it does them no good to bankrupt the state paying for illegal aliens who contribute little and have no commitment to the community.

This is spot on the money. Also, this whole story started with the L A SLIMES. Keep that in mind. I always knew they were left-leaning when I lived there, but they seem to have gotten their own GREEN CARD.

[SCalGal]

I think the legal hispanic citizens in California can also be persuaded that it does them no good to bankrupt the state paying for illegal aliens who contribute little and have no commitment to the community.

Two of my neighbors are legal hispanic citizens. One was born in Mexico and the other, Guatamaula. Neither one needs to be persuaded... both are totally against illegal immigration, for the same reasons we are against it.

[Carry_Okie]

I can't see how a referendum whose only effect is to repeal a law could be effectively challenged in court. The only things they could attack are the language of the petition (which has already been approved by the SOS), or the conduct of the election.

Both are very tough legal hills to climb. It is a very different thing than challenging an initiative.

[DumpsterDiver]

Thanks for the information. I believe that this will get on the ballot and will succeed (barring any massive voting fraud).

[Bob]

If the required number of signatures are certified by the first of the year...

Are you sure that's the deadline date?

IIRC, there is a 90-day time limit after the bill was signed into law. That would put the deadline for certification sometime in early December (the 8th I believe) rather than the end of the year.

[Stu Cohen]

I wonder if it might be possible for people who link to "subscribed" sites might be able to just go ahead and post the whole article?

I know that you can use a false email address and information, but I personally don't want to have to go through the trouble of registering, confirming registration via email, and enabling cookies just to read the rest of an article.

If it's possible, could articles from "cookie required" sites just be posted in their entirety?

[dalereed]

The law that Davis signed isn't naming mexicans, it applies to all illegals.

In 1985, a conversation that I had with immigrations officials at Brown Field, San Diego, they stated that about 20% of the illegals coming across the California border were orientals and middle easterners.

Welcome terrorists etc!

[gubamyster]

ping

[dalereed]

"I wonder if it might be possible for people who link to "subscribed" sites might be able to just go ahead and post the whole article?"

Due to settlement of the law suit against FR by the LAT and WP we are precluded from posting full articles from either or their other publications.

[Plutarch]

How he handles it could determine whether his administration gets along well with the state's emerging majority...

Yup, you used to see op-ed pieces that pretended that massive illegal and legal immigration was beneficial. Since that argument is laughable, they fallback on the need for politicians to make nice to get their votes. To prevent civil disturbance is probably just around the corner.