Thread: CA: State Strikes Balance on Immigration

State Strikes Balance on Immigration

Guillermo Arias/Associated Press
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California presented his decisions on two bills as a pragmatic assessment, not a political one.


By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: October 14, 2007

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed in this week on two volatile issues in the immigration debate, splitting the difference in a way that exemplifies his delicate handling of the controversial subject.

Mr. Schwarzenegger, pleasing immigration advocates and Latino groups, signed a measure that prohibits cities from requiring landlords to check whether tenants are in the country legally.

California becomes the first state with such a law, and the bill’s sponsor and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund predicted that the measure would be studied in municipalities across the country that have weighed similar status checks by landlords. Six cities, including Escondido in Southern California, adopted ordinances requiring verification, but all have been rescinded or have stalled in the face of lawsuits.

Then Mr. Schwarzenegger, pleasing his party’s conservatives, vetoed a bill to allow new citizens to register to vote on Election Day if their naturalization ceremonies were held less than seven days before an election. Opponents saw the bill as fraught with logistical and security problems and as a prelude to allowing same-day registration for everyone, which many Democrats have advocated.

Mr. Schwarzenegger, a naturalized American citizen from Austria, presented his action on the bills as a pragmatic, case-by-case assessment of their merits.

Francisco Castillo, a spokesman for Mr. Schwarzenegger, said his support of the landlord-related bill came from his disapproval of local governments’ performing a role he believes belongs to the federal government. The veto of the voting measure, Mr. Castillo said, was based on logistical and security concerns.

But elected officials and political analysts said they believed that Mr. Schwarzenegger’s decisions reflected his gingerly steps along the immigration divide, giving a little to both sides as a Republican in a state with a Democratic legislative majority (and maybe, according to speculation in Sacramento, as a future candidate for the United States Senate).

“I think the governor signed this bill for the right reason,â€

Schwarzenegger goes both ways on immigration
By Eunice Moscoso | Monday, October 15, 2007, 11:44 AM

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger acted to please both sides of the immigration debate “in a way that exemplifies his delicate handling of the controversial subject,â€

Obviously arnie is taking flip flop lessons from romney. What a loser. I have no more respect for this guy whatsoever. I don't care how big of a star he is. He should go back to acting and stay the hell out of politics.