California: Governor seeks "referendum proof" illegal alien driver license bill

KFI AM640, Los Angeles, John and Ken Show | March 8, 2004

[John Jorsett]

Just heard an appearance on the John and Ken show by Ron Prince, sponsor of the new Proposition 187-type initiative that (if it gets enough signatures) will appear on the November ballot. Prince reports that an associate was attending a meeting with Schwarzenegger aides, on the subject of how Republican candidates should handle their campaigns. In the course of the discussion, the question of the new illegal alien driver licenses came up. An aide answered, "Don't worry about that, we're going for a 'referendum-proof' version." It seems that if the legislature designates a bill as "urgent," two-thirds of the legislators vote for it, and it's signed by the governor, it becomes law immediately. That means there's no opportunity for a referendum as in non-urgent bills, the technique we used to persuade the legislature to repeal SB60. All that it would take for making SB 1160 (Democrat Assemblyman Gil Cedillo's new illegal alien driver's license bill) urgent is for two Republicans in the state Senate and six in the Assembly to vote for it. According to Prince, it appears that Schwarzenegger is planning on leaning on Republicans to vote for 1160.

It's not clear whether Schwarzenegger is going to succeed with this, but Prince says that the legislature is going to keep running at this until they win. The only way we can get them to stop this nonsense is to pass an initiative (like Prince's new "son of 187" initiative), which can't be overridden by the legislature. Prince says that his initiative needs another 200,000 signatures in the next 6 weeks. Go to www.Save187.com, download the petition, print it out (make sure you make a two-sided printout and not single-sided), sign it, get anyone else you can to sign it, and mail it in. I'm doing that myself right now. I'm fed up with this garbage and it's time to put a stop to it.

I'll also be writing a strong letter to the governor to let him know just how I feel about this attempted end-run around the people. If this turns out to be true, his new name will be Governor Judas as far as I'm concerned.

[Sabertooth]

Ooops, I blew the link...

State Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, introduced SB 1160 as a way to save a spot in this year's legislative calendar for passage of a new law patterned after SB 60 -- but only when Cedillo negotiates the details with Schwarzenegger. Cedillo authored SB 60 in September.

Sticking points in the talks include whether a license would be available to all residents, regardless of their legal status, whether the licenses would have a different look than those held by legal residents and how to conduct background checks on undocumented applicants. They would also talk about ways to strengthen insurance requirements.

Dan Savage, Cedillo's chief of staff, said Cedillo plans to add amendments to the short, two-paragraph bill as the negotiations move on.

"We'll introduce a bill in its entirely when we reach an agreement," Savage said. "... The governor has been very clear that we're going to be driven by content and not be driven by speed."

Representatives from Schwarzenegger's office did not return phone calls by press time. The governor convinced Cedillo to support the demise of SB 60 In November, telling him that he would work on ways to devise a new bill that satisfied his concerns about security issues.
Activist group pushes new legislation allowing illegal immigrants the right to drive
napanews (FR link) | February 5, 2004 | DAVID RYAN

[Southack]

"I know it's hard for you to accept but Mr. Schwarzenegger can be, and IS, wrong on this."

If second-hand "information" from talk radio is to be believed, then Arnold is the devil incarnate.

The problem with expecting rational *adults* to swallow such daily agitprop, however, is that none of the talk radio hosts or internet attackers can ever manage to quote Arnold directly. Instead, it's always "I've heard so-n-so claim..."

And that's probably good enough to get some gossip going in the local beauty parlors, but what mature adult is going to fall for it?!

Either people can quote Arnold supporting SB1160 or else they can't.

If they can't, then what exactly are they ascribing to Arnold that they have no evidence of?!

I mean, this is the governor who REPEALED Gray Davis' illegal alien license bill, and yet here we have people who very much wanted that repeal to happen...suddenly acting as though Arnold was Gray Davis himself rather than the man who recalled Gray and repealed his car tax and illegal alien license law.

[B Knotts]

Thanks for the ping. This shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone, as I think we all knew the fix was in when Schwarzenegger cut the original deal with Cedillo to repeal the original illegal alien license law.

I guess some people still can't accept that they are getting exactly what they voted for.

[Sabertooth]

My guess is the effect would be quite the opposite.

Some, it seems, won't believe the fire is hot until they reach their hand into it.

[navyblue]

Join Arnold. Or else.

I'll take the or else! He's a back stabbin liberal!

[CWOJackson]

But, but, but...what about the guy down at the 7/11 who knows someone who's cousin is dating this dude in Sacramento that eats lunch where one of the Lt. Governor's aides does and he said that Arnold is really Vincente Fox's love child from his days in the Pan Mexican-Austrian Yodeling team.

[Sabertooth]

I mean, this is the governor who REPEALED Gray Davis' illegal alien license bill,

No it isn't.

Schwarzenegger had no leverage over the Dems, except that given him by 500,000 signatures on SaveOurLicense petitions, a drive Schwarzenegger refused to support.

Schwarzenegger always said he would support an Illegal Alien drivers license bill that would meet his security concerns. Schwarzenegger supporters who believed and believe otherwise are simply lying to themselves.

[FITZ]

a package deal that would have included a requirement of insurance for those people that are going to get the drivers license.

If they have insurance why not just let them use their Mexican drivers licenses? That's how it's done here --- also if you visit Mexico, you keep your USA state drivers license, they don't give you a Mexican one --- but you do have to have insurance.

[Libertina]

Yes, right after you take care of that little matter of the law and gay mariage...

[navyblue]

"I thought Arnald was supposed to be against illegal alien drivers liscenses. What the hell is this?"

Now you didn't really believe that, did you?

As Arnold was exiting the Jay Leno show immediately after announcing his candicy for governor:

We have to find a way to make them legal!

Do you really need more than that?

[FITZ]

saying we need these immigrant workers, we have jobs for them and they will help support our Social Security program

We don't need the ones committing felony document fraud and identity theft by using stolen social security numbers. Those are felony criminals. We also don't need the over 40% of immigrants from Mexico who wound up on welfare.

[calcowgirl]

I am opposed to the issue on the simple "illegal is illegal" argument. Notwithstanding that, I have questions as to where they may be going with this, and on some of the info in your post.

1. "whether a license would be available to all residents"
Aren't all residents, other than illegals, eligible for a license?

2. "how to conduct background checks on undocumented applicants"
This does concern me... not only how it would be accomplished, but by what agency, and at what cost.

3. "strengthen insurance requirements"
In California, it is the CAR that is insured, not the individual. So what do drivers' licenses have to do with insurance?

[dougherty]

Impeach the Governator.

[Southack]

"Schwarzenegger always said he would support an Illegal Alien drivers license bill that would meet his security concerns. Schwarzenegger supporters who believed and believe otherwise are simply lying to themselves."

Whether true or not, Arnold's support of such isn't at issue.

No, this thread's lead "Article" is claiming that Arnold is going beyond some ordinary illegal alien license bill into whole new territory: a "referendum proof" illegal alien license law.

Yet, where is the evidence of Arnold claiming that he wants a "referendum proof" illegal alien license law?

Where are the quotes of Arnold saying that's what he wants?

And if there aren't any such quotes, then why are people making these wild-eyed claims?

[Bernard Marx]

If they have insurance why not just let them use their Mexican drivers licenses?

Because they couldn't register to vote in California with Mexican driver's licenses.

[FITZ]

Where I live, an illegal using his Mexican drivers license and driving with American insurance is driving legally --- they can do the same there.

[Sabertooth]

*"Schwarzenegger always said he would support an Illegal Alien drivers license bill that would meet his security concerns. Schwarzenegger supporters who believed and believe otherwise are simply lying to themselves."

**Whether true or not, Arnold's support of such isn't at issue.

Sure it is; Arnold's on-the-record support for Illegal Alien CDLs provides the context against which subsequent developments can be analyzed.

No, this thread's lead "Article" is claiming that Arnold is going beyond some ordinary illegal alien license bill into whole new territory: a "referendum proof" illegal alien license law.

It's not new territory, it's been part of the bill since it was introduced February 2nd. See post #39

Yet, where is the evidence of Arnold claiming that he wants a "referendum proof" illegal alien license law?

Where are the quotes of Arnold saying that's what he wants?

And if there aren't any such quotes, then why are people making these wild-eyed claims?

We don't have quotes from Arnold on this, we have quotes from an unnamed aid.

We also have the following:

1. Arnold supports CDLs for Illegals.
2. Arnold would not support the SaveOurLicense referendum.
3. When SB 60 was killed, Arnold said he wanted to come back and "do it right."
4. Cedillo has said for months that he's working with Arnold on a new Illegal Alien CDL bill.
5. Arnold has confirmed it.
6. The "urgency clause" has been in SB 1160 from the start.
7. Arnold has taken no stand against it.

In light of the above facts, it's hard to make the case that claims that Schwarzenegger supports the bill with the urgency clause are "wild-eyed."

[FITZ]

Or use it to cross the border. There are obviously reasons they aren't campaigning to have their foreign license accepted here --- and instead demand to be given a US license. I wonder if it's even illegal in California to present your Mexican license now? It isn't illegal here.

[calcowgirl]

I can only assume that since many illegals have been here for years, they have no Mexican drivers license, nor any residence in Mexico.