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.