[heleny]

Another AP article -- similar but shorter:

Calif. Gov. Vetoes License Bill

Tuesday October 1, 2002 5:00 AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Gray Davis vetoed legislation Monday letting many illegal immigrants obtain California driver's licenses.

The decision forced Davis to weigh what he said were increased security risks from licensing non-citizens after last year's terrorist attacks against the urging of immigrant rights groups.

Davis had demanded a series of safeguards, including fingerprint background checks and cooperation with the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service, angering Hispanic groups vital to his re-election campaign.

Legislators reluctantly amended legislation to comply with the governor's concerns as they rushed to adjourn a month ago, but aides to the governor said the language still fell short of what he had requested.

The bill's author, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, countered that the revised legislation should be enough to not only satisfy Davis, but was improved by lawmakers.

California highways would be safer by having all drivers trained and insured, proponents said. But besides Davis' security concerns, opponents complained licenses encourage illegal immigration.

Davis had until midnight Monday to act on the legislation. The bill took on huge symbolic importance for immigrants, particularly groups representing California's large Mexican population.

Cedillo initially estimated as many as a million of the state's roughly 3 million undocumented immigrants would be eligible, though his staff subsequently acknowledged the actual number could be far lower.

Just 130,000 people applied to adjust their status to permanent resident or extend temporary visitor visas in all of California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona over the last year, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

---

Thank goodness! Davis knew signing AB60 would be too hot politically!

[heleny]

an earlier thread:

Illegal alien driver's licenses in California
American Patrol | 9/30/02 | Tancredo Fan
Posted on 09/30/2002 9:54 PM Pacific by Tancredo Fan

The word is that California Governor Gray Davis has vetoed California AB60, the bill that would have allowed illegal alien invaders to get driver's licenses. Will wonders never cease.

[Sabertooth]

Thank goodness for the courageous leadership of the Republican National Committee in opposing this legislation.

[Marine Inspector]

California - FY 2001 INS Apprehensions by Country
Armenia	34	Australia	4	Austria	3	Azerbaijan	1
Bahamas	2	Bangladesh	2	Barbados	2	Belgium	2
Belize	45	Bermuda	1	Bolivia	13	Brazil	368
Bulgaria	24	Burma	1	Byelarus	2	Cameroon	1
Canada	359	Chile	27	China	144	Colombia	51
Costa Rica	15	Cuba	103	Czech Republic	2	Czechoslovakia	4
Dominican Republic	6	Ecuador	92	Egypt	8	El Salvador	1,238
Ethiopia	14	Fiji	76	France	5	Gabon	1
Georgia	3	Germany	19	Ghana	3	Greece	3
Guatemala	886	Guinea	2	Guyana	1	Haiti	5
Homduras	575	Hong Kong	3	Hungary	2	India	85
Indonesia	10	Iran	41	Iraq	8	Ireland	4
Israel	14	Italy	9	Ivory Coast	2	Jamaica	48
Japan	11	Jordan	11	Kampuchea	69	Kazakhstan	3
Kenya	3	Kuwait	1	Laos	90	Latvia	1
Lebanon	26	Libya	1	Macau	1	Malaysia	12
Mexico	315,386	Moldova	4	Mongolia	1	Netherlands	4
New Zealand	3	Nicaragua	104	Nigeria	17	North Korea	2
Oman	3	Pakistan	17	Palestine	1	Panama	9
Papya New Guinea	2	Paraguay	5	Peru	61	Philippines	307
Poland	19	Portugal	13	Romania	10	Russia	32
Saudi Arabia	2	Senegal	1	Sierra Leone	3	Singapore	1
Slovakia	6	Somalia	1	South Africa	4	South Korea	82
Spain	3	Sri Lanka	1	St. Kitts-Nevis	1	St. Vincent - Grenadines	8
Sudan	4	Sweden	2	Syria	26	Taiwan	10
Thailand	32	Tonga	19	Trinidad and Tobago	29	Tunisia	1
Turkey	15	Uganda	3	Ukraine	37	United Kingdom	49
Uruguay	1	Uzbekistan	4	Venezuela	13	Vietnam	213
Western Samoa	4	Yemen	4	Yugoslavia	6	Zimbabwe	3
Total = 321,198

Marine Inspector

[Joe Hadenuf]

The governor's politically charged decision forced him to weigh what he said were increased security risks from licensing non-citizens after last year's terrorist attacks against the urging of immigrant rights groups that said it would make California's highways safer.

Correction, this little bastard and his lies....This should have read:

The governor's politically charged decision forced him to weigh what he said were increased security risks from licensing non-citizens after last year's terrorist attacks and at the urging of politically uncorrect, anti illegal alien groups, that are not afraid to speak out and tell these traitors in Sacramento exactly how they feel.

[wardaddy]

Would that my state of Tennessee had the same wisdom.

[hosepipe]

3 million illegal aliens in Calif. alone... No wonder the state can't find them to deport them. They must be hiding somewhere....