Posted on 09/03/2006 11:57:49 AM PDT by SaveSanBernardino
Two cities, two very different climates for illegal immigrants.
In San Bernardino, what began as a one-man crusade has turned into a movement pushing for one of the strictest anti-illegal immigrant laws in the country.
Sixty miles away, officials in the tiny, working-class community of Maywood have declared the city a "sanctuary" for undocumented residents.
In the highly charged national debate over illegal immigration, both cities have made headlines -- and inspired other cities -- with their divergent stances. The common thread between them is a shared frustration with a lack of immigration reform at the federal level.
My family and I escaped from San Bernardino and California in 1994. I recall seeing in the paper that, at that time, the Hispanic population was 51%, and lord knows what it is today.
Do you really think that any "anti-immigration" action has a chance?
Ex-Democrat:
Not quite sure I fully understand the context of your question. Are you referring to the state as a whole or to the City of San Bernardino?
Many people consider California to be a "lost cause". I can understand that and not really interested in debating the merits of the respective arguments. It is my homeland and I am not to keen on the idea of tucking tail and running to another state...only to watch the problem spread there.
I can understand why many have left already...I think about it quite a bit. But, for better or worse, I am a Southern California boy.
With respect to the City of San Bernardino, I think immigration is a winning issue. I wrote the Illegal Immigration Relief Act to prove the point as I am convinced it would have succeeded had it gone to a vote of the people.
Consequently, I am running for seat on the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Obviously, I am known for my position on immigration issues in these parts. November will demonstrate whether or not such a position can produce positive electoral results.
This wouldn't even be considered a frivolous lawsuit.
(I got no published rebuttal, by the way - and damn near everybody out here reads that newspaper)
Would this mean you'd have to deal with Jukie Weaver & Ray Culberson? Certainly you've read about the inservice Culberson did at VVSHS up the hill from you? You can't tell me these guys are in support of immigration reform...where there are actual controls on immigration. They don't even believe in controls in the classroom.
Funny you should bring up Culberson. I come from the old school, where students sit down, shut the hell up and do their work.
I do not believe teachers should be asked to "tolerate" being cursed at. My jaw hit the floor when I read that article this week.
Do you reside within the San Bernardino City Unified School District boundary?
At the risk of sounding like sour grapes, the short answer is that an activist judge screwed us over.
I studied the process for months. I was given the conditions, rules and signature requirement by the City Clerk.
However, the judge, who is friends with the Mayor of San Bernardino who was also a long time judge before he retired to run for Mayor, ultimately decided that the City Clerk erred in their calculation.
The signature requirement was based on the last preceding election in which a mayor was elected. At the time I began circulating and gathering signatures, that election was the Nov. 2001 contest. However, during the gathering time period (a few months after I started), there was an intervening election.
The judge ruled that as a result, our signature requirement changed. Now, on its face, it seems pretty unfair to change the requirement midstream. However, we also presented a case called Coalition for Fair Rent v. Abdelnour. It dealt with the City of San Diego, also a charter city and the courts specifically addressed this issue of what the proper benchmark election should be.
That court ruled that proponents have the right to know what the requirement is before then begin gathering signatures and that the benchmark would be the last election in which the [mayor] was elected as of the date of the first signature gathered.
My mother never said life was fair. However, we did manage to create a wildfire that has spread across the nation. So, I am incredibly pleased by that.
I'm sorry the judge changed the rules in midstream, both because you put a lot of effort into it and because the country needs more grassroots, local action on illegal immigration to show those in D.C. that we won't just stand idly by. And you're right, cities all over are chomping at the bit to take up what you were doing. I'm proud to have 'met' you here!
Thanks for your hard work in fighting the problem.
No, I was born there & my first few years of school were in SB. Then we relocated up to Victorville, where I graduated HS. Julian "Jukie" Weaver was an assistant principle there at the time. I'm now in Austin, TX.
I was in SB when Arrowview was a beautiful old Jr. High, and not the prison looking middle school it is today. I love SB still after all these years & am interested in the goings on there. Best of luck to you, with both the Illegal Immigration Relief Act and winning a seat on the San Bernardino City Unified School District. They certainly could use you!
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