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"This is almost a poster-board for illegal immigration," Peter Amundson, a volunteer with the California Republican Assembly, told the Times. "This is America. We're a land of immigrants – legal immigrants. This is not Mexico. This is the United States."
He called the ads "a slap in the face to Californians and a pretty blatant one."
Members of Americans for Legal Immigration, a political action committee that targets illegal immigration, told the Times the ads are offensive. They posted a photo of one of the billboards on their Web site, prompting angry comments.
"I think it's irresponsible corporate citizenship to be promoting that type of message," Daryl Jurbala, communications director for the group, told the Times. "I don't think it's responsible for anyone to encourage or reward or try to make illegal immigrants feel welcome."
The ad's sponsors defended the message. Executive Vice President Lenard Liberman told the Times Noticias 62 was a popular news program in Los Angeles and noted that people of Mexican descent make up a large portion of the city.
"We tell the story behind L.A., and we tell the story behind Mexico," he said. "If they find that offensive, I'm sorry. But you just have to drive around L.A. to know that this is a Hispanic city."
Stuart Fischoff, who teaches media psychology at Cal State L.A., told the Times the billboard was like "sticking a finger in your eye" to immigration reformers. "The joke here is, 'We're taking back California,'" Fischoff said. "Underneath the joke is part of the truth."
Note: Los Angeles is still in California and in no danger of migrating to Mexico, although the reverse is certainly occurring rapidly.
Governor: No political aim in border remarks
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By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 30, 2005 One day after his explosive comments about illegal immigration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's aides insisted Friday he didn't speak out to improve sagging poll ratings or whip up support for his "reform" agenda.
But they don't deny his comments could have that effect.
"Immigration is a small issue to the chattering class," Mike Murphy, Schwarzenegger's chief political adviser, said in an interview. "It is a big issue to the regular people who want Arnold Schwarzenegger to make a difference as governor."
Schwarzenegger interrupted his pitch for his proposed ballot initiatives Thursday by requesting time on a conservative radio talk show to blast television station billboards that he said encourage illegal immigration.
He then ignited a fury of criticism from Democrat and Latino activists when he said armed private citizens patrolling the Mexican borders - President Bush has called them "vigilantes" - have "done a terrific job."
And in a Los Angeles press conference Friday, he likened them to "neighborhood patrols" popular in many communities.p> Schwarzenegger raised the issue just as a new poll showed his popularity waning and as he enters the final days of signature-gathering to qualify ballot initiatives for a proposed Nov. 8 special election. His supporters fear his budget measure may miss Friday's unofficial deadline for signatures, pushing the election deeper into November.
I guess the question I would ask Mr. Liberman is where, exactly, do his loyalities lie, if he has any. I think he is like many of his ilk, with no true emotional attachment to the United States, or its people, and who just see our country as a cash cow for themselves and their clan to milk. Perhaps there is a Mideast country to which he is attached? Or not.