Free Republic

Last week California’s Department of Motor Vehicles sent 23,000 “erroneous” voter registrations to the office of Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who maintains the list of registered voters. The DMV blamed it technical errors and said none of the erroneous registrations involved undocumented immigrants. Padilla was “extremely disappointed and deeply frustrated” and the DMV assured him it wouldn’t happen again. Legitimate voters have good reason to believe Padilla was not disappointed but delighted. The odds are strong that illegals make up most if not all of the newly registered voters. The registrations of illegals will be happening again, in...

A Los Angeles councilman proposed Wednesday that the nation’s second-largest city consider ending tens of millions of dollars of financial ties with troubled JP Morgan Chase & Co. A motion introduced by Democrat Gil Cedillo seeks a review of city business with the nation’s largest bank, as well as an analysis of legal options to end those contracts. It said a city retirement system holds over $100 million in JP Morgan stock and investments, and the city has a line of credit with the bank. The motion also suggests disqualifying the bank from doing further business with City Hall. …

Young undocumented immigrants will be able to receive California driver’s licenses under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Sunday. As many as 350,000 undocumented immigrants in California may be eligible for the Obama administration program, which waives the threat of deportation for two years for those who have no criminal record. According to The Times' Patrick McGreevy: Young people would qualify if they are accepted by a federal program giving work permits to those who came to this country before they were 16 and are now 30 or younger. Brown spokesman Gil Duran said that by issuing the driver’s licenses,...

The governor signed a bill Sunday that will let hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants qualify for California driver’s licenses. Young people would qualify if they are accepted by a federal program giving work permits to those who came to this country before they were 16 and are now 30 or younger. …

Some illegal immigrants could get California drivers licenses under a bill that Gov. Jerry Brown announced he signed into law late Sunday. AB2189 by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, will let the Department of Motor Vehicles issue licenses to illegal immigrants eligible for work permits under a new Obama administration policy. The bill requires the department to accept as proof of legal residence whatever document the federal government provides to participants in its deferred action program. Cedillo said his bill will make roads safer while letting young immigrants drive to school and to work. His reasoning drew support from several...

A veteran California lawmaker said Friday he will, for the tenth time, introduce legislation to allow driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

by John HillStand With Arizona It is hard to overstate the stunning embrace of lawlessness represented by three bills signed by California Governor Jerry Brown this past weekend. Brown on Saturday signed three bills that directly champion illegal aliens. Together, they put the state so far on the side of illegals (and against legal taxpayers), that California now has no legitimate rival for the title of "The Sanctuary State", and should consider changing their official motto accordingly. Facing a midnight deadline for sign several controversial bills, Brown avoided a public signing ceremony for these unpopular bills. He waited until the...

California Gov. Jerry Brown scored a victory for common sense last week when he vetoed a bill that would have imposed criminal penalties on minors -- or their parents -- who ski or snowboard without a helmet. "While I appreciate the value of wearing a ski helmet, I am concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from parents to the state," Brown explained. "Not every human problem deserves a law." That veto endeared Brown to conservatives who have grown wary of the Democratic Legislature's nanny-state ways. It also highlighted how unpredictable Brown can be. There are two...

A bill loaded with immigration politics and potential implications for highway safety has landed on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. The legislation by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, would change police procedures at drunken-driving checkpoints, prohibiting officers from arresting drivers and immediately impounding their cars if their only offense is not having a license. Supporters say the bill, AB353, would impose a consistent policy statewide - some agencies confiscate unlicensed drivers' cars now, and some do not - while keeping DUI checkpoints from being turned into traps for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who cannot obtain licenses. "In most parts of California,...

As the controversial Dream Act advances, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is urging citizens to voice support for Gov. Jerry Brown to veto the bill that would allow students who entered the country illegally to receive statefunded financial aid at California’s public colleges. Donnelly in a statement called Assembly Bill 131 — which passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday — a “nightmare for citizens.” “Students are already struggling to pay increased tuition and many cannot even get into the classes they need,” he said, “but the Legislature continues to pretend we can afford this entitlement. The simple truth is,...

(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Monday a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive privately funded scholarships to attend the state's public colleges and universities. The bill, dubbed the California Dream Act, passed the state Legislature earlier this month and aims at helping illegal immigrants who have earned a high school diploma after attending at least three years of high school in the state. "At the end of the day, if we're going to continue as a powerful, equal-opportunity society, we're going to have to invest in our people," Brown, a Democrat, said at the signing...

State lawmakers Wednesday advanced measures that would allow undocumented university students to apply for financial aid, would help police monitor use of social networking websites by sex offenders and would end the fingerprinting of food stamp recipients. The state aid that undocumented students could become eligible for would include Cal-Grants, institutional aid and fee waivers at publicly funded colleges. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed measures that would have provided the same privileges. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) said his proposal, which passed the lower house, would help "children brought here through no choice of their own, who embrace our values and learn...

California lawmakers have opened the door to state-funded financial aid for immigrant college students who entered the United States illegally. . . . Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, a Los Angeles Democrat, has introduced similar legislation each year since 2005 only to see it vetoed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

California’s State Assembly on Thursday approved legislation to let undocumented students apply for college scholarships. But only Democrats voted for the bill. Assembly Republicans say it makes no sense to offer financial aid to students who have no legal right to live and work in California. Under the California Dream Act, only students who’ve attended a California high school for at least three years may apply for college scholarships — but only for those that private donors underwrite. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles said these students deserve at least that much. “These young men and women were brought here...

One state lawmaker from the southland is taking another shot at helping undocumented California college students pay for their education. Democratic Assemblyman Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles Tuesday re-introduced a state version of the federal "DREAM Act" which was shot down by Congress last month. Cedillo's previous attempt to help illegal immigrant students obtain financial aid was vetoed three different times by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who cited the state's financial crisis as his reasoning. If approved, the measure would give undocumented college students in the Golden State the opportunity to vie for Cal grants and other means of financial aid....

... With 220 of 222 precincts reporting, (Judy) Chu comfortably outdistanced Democratic state senator Gil Cedillo by over 4,000 votes, 32 to 23 percent. ...

A California bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses is one step closer to becoming a state law. State senate bill 60 passed through the assembly Friday. If the bill becomes law, legislators say the estimated 2.2 million undocumented immigrants in California will apply for one, an idea that's creating a lot of controversy. "I think they should be able to get licenses just like everybody else," said Nicole Holland, a Fresnan who supports the bill. "They are already committing a crime coming over here," said Albert Ratliff, a Fresnan who opposes the bill. "I don't think...

SACRAMENTO - State Sen. Gil Cedillo is trying to shine some light on a shocking but little known episode in American history. He faces an uphill battle. The Los Angeles Democrat is the author of a bill that would require public junior high and high schools to teach students about the deportation of about 2 million Latinos, including 400,000 Californians, to Mexico during the Great Depression. Elementary schools would have the option of including information about the deportations in social science instruction. The deportation program was started in 1929 (and ran to 1944) by the Hoover administration, supposedly as a...

A controversial bill on the governor's desk would give illegal immigrant college students in California new benefits, including access to state grants and fee waivers. Immigrant rights groups have urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign Senate Bill 1, also known as the California Dream Act, saying it would give those students hope for a better future. But the governor rejected a similar bill last year and opponents say the measure would stretch the state's already tight resources. "I guess California hasn't figured out what to do with its revenue surpluses," said Ira Mehlman, referring to the state's ongoing budget shortfall....

Fearing a voter backlash this fall, Democratic lawmakers Thursday derailed legislation to allow illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses. For the eighth consecutive year, legislation pushed by state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, that has provoked deep emotions on both sides of the immigration debate has apparently failed. Unlike last year, when the legislation was vetoed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- who had vowed to do so again -- Democrats in the Assembly pre-emptively shelved Senate Bill 1160. This time, the measure died without a vote in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. "My intention and expectations are to move...