California Legislative Visit Senator Ron Calderon

Ten of us in California Senate District 30 visited California Senator Ron S. Calderon's office in Montebello, CA this afternoon to talk about AB 1236 and learn more about the legislative process in California. Our group of ten people included Jonathan and Martha from the San Gabriel Valley DREAM Team;  retired United Methodist Pastor from Whittier, Bill Miller; Maria, Fernando (going into the eighth grade) and Marta from Bell and Adriana Diaz Ordaz from COFEM; and Carl from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).


Our concern is that any increase in enforcement such as E-verify program that is full of errors, without any change in the law to allow hard working people a path to get resident and/or citizen status will have a negative effect on business, on people seeking jobs, and the community as a whole. We asked the Senator's staff to ask Senator Calderon to support AB 1236 which will limit the use of the flawed system in California. In the past, Senator Calderon voted in favor of similar legislation. My sources told me before the meeting that the Senator's legislative director is recommending he vote in favor of this bill. The staffer in the office today was unable to say with certainty that the Senator would in fact vote for it.

Kristine from the California Immigration Policy Center helped with the technical details and briefed us on the negative impact of e-verify program and why AB 1236 is a positive thing for California, for business and our communities.  Follow the links here to learn more about this issue.

A letter to my senator, Ron S. Calderon after the break. Adapt the information in this letter for your own California Senator and Assemblymember. 

Assemblymember Roger Hernández on Immigration (CA AD 57)

California Dream Act (AB 131) Passes Assembly on May 5, 2011. It is now headed for the California Senate.

From the 57th California Assembly District's Roger Hernández web site:

(Sacramento) – Assemblymember Roger Hernández (D-East Los Angeles County) joined the rest of his fellow Democrats in the Assembly to support Assembly Bill 130, the California Dream Act, when it came up for a vote on the floor of the State Assembly. Assemblymember Hernández told his colleagues AB 130 is needed so undocumented college students can apply for and receive financial aid. Assemblymember Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), author of AB130, has introduced a similar bill every year since 2005. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed the legislation repeatedly. Here’s more from Assemblymember Hernández in this Assembly Access video.

California's 57th Assembly District falls within eastern Los Angeles County and includes the cities of Azusa, Covina, Baldwin Park, Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, West Covina and the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Bassett, Charter Oak, Citrus, East Arcadia, Hacienda Heights, Ramona and Valinda.

Governor Jerry Brown has already said that he would sign this kind of bill when passed by California's Assembly and Senate.

Find out how your California Assemblymember voted and thank him or her for supporting eligible students. How will your State Senator vote? Find your senator here and let him or her know that you support the California DREAM Act. 

For more on other California legislators and congressional representatives and positions on immigration see what America's Voice has to say about Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA) here.

I hope this becomes a recurring series of informational posts on State and Federal legislators and their positions on immigration, immigration reform and DREAM Act related issues. If you'd care to submit a blog post on this topic or another immigration and faith related issue, see our guidelines here.

CA Assembly Member Introduces Strict Immigration Law [UPDATE]

In a discussion group last year with immigration advocacy organizations, we discussed the possibility of Arizona SB 1070 inspired laws in California. A few legislators were identified who had run on platforms that included harsh treatment of immigrants. There was a consensus in the room that it would be more difficult to pass this kind of legislation in California in 2011 that it was in Arizona in 2010, but we should be vigilant.

California Assembly member Tim Donnelly (R-59th Assembly District) has introduced The Secure Immigration Enforcement Act, or AB 26. The bill would allow citizens to sue any local government that operates as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. It would also require every employer in the state to use E-Verify to check on the immigration status of employees.*

Tim Donnelly is a Republican assembly member from Southern California and a Tea Party member. During a recent interview on Fox News, Donnelly said that beyond this law, he also wanted to target the use of welfare money by undocumented immigrants.*

For a story on this see KPBS: CA Assembly Member Introduces Strict Immigration Law. 

*Source: KPBS

[UPDATE] from California Immigrant Policy Center


Dear Friends

There is a strongly anti-immigrant bill sponsored by Assembly Member Tim Donnelly, the founder of California's largest Minutemen chapter,  that is about to come before the California Assembly Judiciary Committee. Although we are confident that it will ultimately fail, we need your voice in opposition to this harmful bill.

AB 26 (R-Donnelly) would prohibit public officials and entities from limiting local enforcement of immigration law, it would mandate the E-Verify program, it would criminalize work for many immigrants and subject taxpayers to needless and costly litigation over its constitutionality, at a time when CA cannot afford it.

The following is a sample opposition letter to AB 26 addressed to  Assembly Member Mike Feuer, the Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Assembly Member Feuer needs to hear from us about the harm this bill would do if it were to become law. PLEASE WRITE AND SEND IN YOUR LETTER TODAY. The hearing is currently set for April 5, 2011. In order to get into the file for the hearing, your letter should be submitted by March 29th. Thank You!

NOTE: I will post the letter in a separate post above.