Deficit may trigger anti-illegal immigration ballot measure To save money, activists may try to cut aid for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. Anna Gorman and Teresa Watanabe July 9, 2009 As California lawmakers struggle with a budget gap now grown to $26.3 billion, one of the hottest topics for many taxpayers is the cost to the state of illegal immigrants. The question of whether taxpayers should provide services to illegal residents became a major political issue in California's last deep recession, culminating in the ballot fight over Proposition 187 in 1994. That history could repeat itself in the current downturn,...