A better compromise would have been to pass some of these ideas and let the others wait until Congress or the state passes laws that deal with the issue. For instance, if the federal or state governments are going to pass laws fining businesses that hire illegal immigrants, then an additional law at a city council level might only complicate matters. I'd also be slow to punish landlords who rent to illegal aliens. Those landlords are already under pressure from the other side because they can be sued for discrimination if they seem to make renting tougher for people of certain ethnic backgrounds. Before I'd do something like that on a city level, I'd look for the federal or state governments to help sort out the entire identification issue. On the other hand, making English the official language of local government is something that the city can do regardless of what is done at higher levels. Likewise, how the city spends its money on youth programs is for the city to decide, and passing a resolution now would show Congress and the state governments that people are serious at the local level.
Bill