Bill Text: CA AR46 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to immigration.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-17 - Introduced. [AR46 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AR46-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: HR 46 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Gonzalez
JUNE 17, 2014
Relative to immigration.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST
WHEREAS, California's prosperity is intimately tied to the
tenacity, innovativeness, and diversity of its people; and
WHEREAS, The state has made tremendous progress in recent years in
recognizing undocumented immigrants as valued members of society by
enacting laws that promote the safety and livelihood of immigrant
families, including passage of the California DREAM Act, The TRUST
Act, and the Safe and Responsible Drivers Act; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, exactly 20 years ago, the voters of California
approved Proposition 187, now considered one of the most
mean-spirited measures in California's ballot initiative history; and
WHEREAS, With 59 percent of voters in favor of the initiative and
41 percent against it, Proposition 187 was a pernicious and unabashed
attempt to target and scapegoat immigrants for the economic
recession in the mid-1990's; and
WHEREAS, Although the vast majority of the measure was eventually
found to be unconstitutional and unenforceable by the federal courts,
its introduction and approval devastated immigrant communities
throughout California, pushing undocumented people further into the
shadows and spreading rampant fear of public officials and police;
and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 is just one example of a long and
troubled history of targeting and blaming a group of people for
societal and economic hardships in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Throughout our history immigrants have had to confront
hostile environments despite their contributions to our economy; and
WHEREAS, The late 19th century was marked by a series of efforts
to explicitly limit Chinese migration into the United States,
particularly to California. Although Chinese immigrants provided a
needed workforce for the development of the west, including
construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, growing anti-Chinese
sentiments fomented fears that mass Chinese immigration would
threaten American wages and standards of living; and
WHEREAS, These attitudes led to the passage of discriminatory
laws. A new California Constitution in 1879 explicitly banned
individuals of Chinese descent from public and corporate employment
and authorized the state government to determine which individuals
would be allowed to reside in the state; and
WHEREAS, Following California's lead, Congress and President
Chester A. Author approved the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to
completely restrict Chinese immigration; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 14 was approved in 1964 to counteract the
effects of the Rumford Fair Housing Act, which prohibited housing
discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status,
physical handicap, or familial status. It was also held
unconstitutional on the basis that it violated the equal protection
clause of the 14th Amendment; and
WHEREAS, In 1972, voters approved Proposition 21, which would have
repealed a state law that required racial integration of schools and
was ultimately declared unconstitutional by the courts because it
stood in direct violation of the precedent set by Brown v. Board of
Education; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 is the most recent modern example of
California's troubled history and relationship with minorities and
immigrants and of misguided efforts to pass laws that dehumanize
people simply because they are different; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 was proposed and supported by
anti-immigrant groups; and
WHEREAS, Governor Pete Wilson used Proposition 187 to secure his
reelection in 1994 by pursuing a scathing campaign that demonized
undocumented parents and their children; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 would have specifically barred the
children of undocumented immigrants and from attending public
schools, required every school district to verify the legal status of
every child and parent, prohibited colleges and universities from
accepting undocumented students, and prohibited public agencies and
publicly funded health care facilities from providing services to
immigrants suspected of being undocumented; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 would have required teachers, doctors,
social workers, and law enforcement personnel to verify the
immigration status of families and report to Immigration and
Naturalization Services any individual reasonably suspected of being
illegally present in the United States, thereby turning civilians
into immigration agents; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 187 served as the unfortunate precursor to
the draconian anti-immigrant laws recently adopted in Arizona (SB
1070) and Alabama (HB 56) that, like Proposition 187, encourage
racial profiling and targeting undocumented immigrants; and
WHEREAS, As a society, we have learned time and time again that
discrimination against minorities ultimately does not benefit anyone
but rather hurts our economy and creates social dissonance; now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That after 20
years, the Legislature of California expressly acknowledges the harm
caused to Californians through passage of the discriminatory and
xenophobic Proposition 187 and its corresponding campaign. Its
passage marked a reprehensible period for California, but it serves
as a lesson as the Legislature moves forward to provide for the
well-being of all Californians, regardless of their immigration
status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or
socioeconomic position; and be it further
Resolved, That California recognizes June 23, 2014, the date
marking the 20th anniversary of the qualification of Proposition 187
for the November 1994 ballot, as a day to celebrate California's
diversity and a united future; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
