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For at least the third time in a decade, backers of a measure to deny illegal immigrants a range of state benefits have received permission to start collecting the signatures needed to put the issue on a statewide ballot.

If it reaches the ballot, the initiative, which mirrors 1994's controversial Proposition 187, could split a state Republican party that is eager to court Latino voters but hopes to stop the influx of illegal immigrants into California, political observers said.

It also could ignite the same kind of racially charged debate that polarized the state in 1994. Prop. 187 passed by a wide margin but later was largely struck down by federal courts.

"The people are on our side," said proponent Mike Spence who is president of the California Republican Assembly, a volunteer group. "And it's a fantasy that this hurts Republicans. The party is worried about offending Hispanics, but people forget Prop. 187 won support from a lot of Hispanics."

At issue are benefits such as driver's licenses, business licenses and college tuition assistance that are not guaranteed by federal law. The measure is backed by a range of Southern California Republicans.

Groups that opposed Prop. 187 are prepared to fight this newest proposal if it reaches the ballot, said Francisco Estrada, director of public policy for the advocacy group the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

"There are some people who are frightened because of rapid demographic changes in California, and this is their response," Estrada said. "It is a group of folks that would like to recapture a 'golden age,' and in their mind, that's a white California that's never been."

Proponents of the initiative, which would amend the state constitution, must collect 598,105 signatures of registered voters by Feb. 22, 2005, to qualify it for the ballot, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

In addition to Spence, the proposal's proponents are: former Republican state Sen. Richard Mountjoy who helped write Prop. 187; Assemblyman Mark Wyland, R-Vista; Victor Valenzuela, who is a Republican candidate for the Assembly's 57th District seat in Los Angeles County; and Jeff Evans, who edits the California Republican Assembly newspaper.

The state Republican Party has not endorsed the initiative and is not funding the signature drive, said spokeswoman Karen Hanretty.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the proposal.

Since 1994, Prop. 187 proponent Ron Prince has twice launched petition drives to place similar initiatives before voters. The last attempt launched late last year fizzled for lack of funding and signatures.

"The Republican party was not supportive of my measure," Prince said. "The standard answer from them is, 'This will hurt in our efforts to get the Latino vote.'"

Hanretty denied the party took any stand on Prince's effort.

Spence said his petition drive has enough political support and money behind it to get the measure on the ballot.

Wyland has contributed $40,000 to the signature-gathering effort, and the California Republican Assembly has already collected about $100,000 in donations supporting the ballot measure, Spence said.

Next week, the Assembly will send out 100,000 petitions to people who had supported the group's campaign last year to repeal a state law that would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive driver's licenses, Spence said.

"Logistically, we have the support to do this," Spence said. "This issue is hot, hot, hot, and with paid signature gatherers ready to go, we're going to do it."

In addition to cutting off illegal immigrants from some public benefits, the proposal would hold public officials liable for not enforcing the law.

If passed, the initiative would survive challenges in federal courts because it specifically exempts services such as K-12 education mandated by federal law, Spence said.

Federal judges struck down provisions of Prop. 187 because they conflicted with such mandates.