California Democrats consider governor's driver license demand
Thursday, November 4, 2004 at 03:30AM
TheSpook
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger demanded Wednesday that Democrats concede to
a different-colored document to identify the holder as "foreigner" or
"immigrant" in return for his signature on any legislation that would
allow those here illegally to obtain driver licenses. The governor's
forceful edict comes just as leading Democrats on the issue appeared to
be edging apart on whether to acquiesce. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez,
D-Los Angeles, seems to favor delivering a bill that satisfies the
governor. But Sen. Gil Cedillo, a Los Angeles Democrat who has made the
issue a crusade, is reluctant to give in since the issue was not a
decisive factor in any legislative race this year. Schwarzenegger
recently vetoed legislation that would have cleared the way for up to 2
million illegal immigrants to obtain driver licenses if they provided
adequate identification and passed background checks, among other
requirements. The Republican governor said the bill lacked safeguards
to prevent fraud. Undeterred, Cedillo pledged to introduce a similar
measure on the first day of the new legislative session, Dec. 6. The
measure's final form likely will not be settled until after additional
talks with the governor. The governor's demand for some mark to
distinguish license holders remains a stubborn obstacle. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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