Posted on 12/10/2005 10:09:34 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO - A proposed ballot measure to create a California border police to enforce immigration laws is dead after its campaign failed to collect enough voter signatures.
Supporters had until this Monday to submit 598,105 valid voter signatures to county election offices. By late Friday afternoon, however, campaign officials knew they had fallen significantly short.
"It doesn't look like it's going to make it," said consultant Dave Gilliard, who helped engineer the 2003 campaign that ousted former Gov. Gray Davis. Gilliard estimated that the campaign fell short by about 100,000 valid signatures.
The initiative stemmed from what Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, and others complain is the federal government's failure to adequately enforce the country's immigration laws.
It would have allowed the state border police to arrest and hold suspected illegal immigrants in special detention facilities.
Supporters began collecting signatures July 18, only days after an identical Haynes measure failed in the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Haynes was unavailable for comment Friday.
The campaign had a motivated volunteer base as well as support from conservative talk radio and television commentators such as CNN's Lou Dobbs.
But plans to hire paid signature gatherers floundered. The campaign tried to raise money at the same time Gov. Schwarzenegger was hitting up many of the same donors for help promoting his propositions on the Nov. 8 special election ballot.
The border-police campaign raised an estimated $400,000, far less than the $1.5 million or so it typically takes to qualify a ballot measure in California.
"It's very difficult to do that without a paid effort," Gilliard said. "We weren't able to attract financial support because of what the governor was doing."
Schwarzenegger never took a position on the initiative, despite Haynes' requests for support.
Opponents of the initiative said it would have duplicated the U.S. Border Patrol, costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars and increasing fear along the border.
"I'm glad they failed in their efforts," said Maria Anna Gonzalez, a Riverside Latino activist. "I'm hoping it failed because this state's electorate is getting smarter at understanding that certain politicians' objectives are not healthy for this state."
The outcome marks the second time in less than a year that a proposed initiative targeting illegal immigration failed to qualify for the ballot.
In February, an initiative failed that would have denied driver licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Yet supporters of both measures note that the issue continues to resonate with the public. In this week's special election to fill an Orange County congressional seat, minor-party candidate Jim Gilchrist received 25 percent of the vote after running a campaign based solely on stopping illegal immigration.
Schwarzenegger never took a position on the initiative, despite Haynes' requests for support.
Is Maria in the smugglng biz?
Haynes however went out on a limb angering his conservative base in the Recall to endorse Schwarzenegger. I hope people are finally learning that "compromise" with so-called moderates is a one-way street.
ping
I hope people are smarter than to shun a proposal they agree with just because they have a problem with the guy who's fronting it. I've got a big problem with Schwarzenegger's latest actions, but if he put this proposition before the voters, I'd be wholeheartedly on board.
Ironic huh.
Where are all the dems and indies that supported him during the recall..? gee, ppooofff! I wonder why.
And the national GOP/Bush stabbed Schwarzenegger in the back by simultaneously raising funds when he was trying to get donations for the propositions. I guess the observation that "there are no friends in politics, there are only allies who have the same interests" is true. The interests are now different, so old alliances are being thrown out the window.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
I predict Arnold will not run for re-election. He tried to make some much needed changes, but was unable to pull it off. He has no support from either side now.
For what reason was the Federal Government created in the first place?
Can California fiscally, effectively duplicate that for which the Federal Government was created?
We need the Federal Government to do the job they are supposed to do.
We need the man who raised his right hand to keep the Oath he swore to uphold.
What a shame. My thanks go Ray, and all of those who worked hard to get this going, despite its failure.
GILCHRIST HITS CAMPBELL'S "FLIP-FLOP" ON CALIFORNIA BORDER POLICE INITIATIVE
Ugh...
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