My father was _the_ California Democratic politician who used Wilson's disastrous 1994 anti-immigrant campaign to kill the GOP here. I had to listen to him tell me what he planned _starting in 1993_ when he could see Wilson heading off the cliff, how he sold his plan to other Democratic leaders (including President Clinton), what they did to exploit Wilson's suicidal error, and how it all worked. It was horrible watching the California GOP do just what he wanted them to and then pay the price for it. I am painfully familiar with the demographic data and polls here.
We're dead.
With a Democrat upbringing and a college education at UC Santa Cruz, how did you end up a Republican??!! :)
Prop 187 exposed some nasty faultlines in the CA GOP.
A Hispanic gentleman--rather conservative--who was active in the local party spoke out against 187 on a number of grounds, including the most obvious issue of federal supremacy on immigration issues.
His reward was a guy shouting from the back of the room, "GO BACK TO TIAJUANA, MOJADO!"
The worst part was almost every other person in the audience standing and cheering.
The guy speaking? He changed his registration the next day to USTP. He also urged everyone he knew to either vote against GOP candidates or to just stay home--and he got more than a few people to follow him.
Yup, we're dead--cause of death: self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot.