Thread: Friendswood official wants vote on English

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/436783

Nov. 29, 2006, 5:45PM
Friendswood official wants vote on English

By THAYER EVANS
Chronicle Correspondent

A Friendswood City Council member is interested in making English the city's official language and would like the idea to go before voters next spring.

But if the proposal gets on the city's May 12 ballot, the League of United Latin American Citizens might campaign in Friendswood to defeat it, the Houston-area director for the group said, claiming that establishment of English as an official language for a city is a violation of free speech.

City Councilman Chris Peden said the proposed measure would be a safeguard for Friendswood and compared it to the city's ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of places where children gather.

"We do not have, in my opinion, an illegal immigration issue in the city of Friendswood, but I don't want to pass legislation after we get one," Peden said.

"What I will ask is that our charter review committee put on the ballot that our charter include a clause stating that English is the language of the city of Friendswood," he said. "To be employed, you must have a command of the English language. The reason I want it to be on the ballot is because it'll be in the charter. Voters will have to approve it, not me."

But Mayor David Smith said he has no interest in considering ordinances targeting illegal immigration.

"When we talk about representing the citizens of Friendswood and sending a message to Washington (D.C.) on a particular issue, I think we have to be careful," he said. "We have to be cautious about that, because we represent everybody in Friendswood."

LULAC's Houston-area director, Rick Dovalina, cautioned Friendswood to give careful thought to the possibility of English becoming the city's official language.

"The negative publicity that it's going to bring to the city, believe me, it's not worth it," he said.

Dovalina said LULAC is seeking to file a lawsuit against the north Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch over that city's recent ordinances aimed at discouraging illegal immigration. In addition to declaring English as the city's official language, Farmers Branch approved fines for landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, and directed police to screen those in custody to see whether they are in the country illegally.

Last month, the Friendswood council voted 6-1 to approve a resolution that urges President Bush and Congress to enforce the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs primarily immigration and citizenship in the United States.

The resolution also implores the president and national lawmakers to amend the act to address "our citizens' concerns regarding the negative impact the porous borders of our country are having on national security and the quality of life in our cities, our states and our nation."

City Councilwoman Laura Ewing voted against the resolution.

Farmers Branch had mailed a copy of a similar resolution to Friendswood officials in September, requesting that the Galveston County city pass its own version of the measure.

Referring to the Farmers Branch's ordinances that establish landlord fines for renting to illegal immigrants and that instruct city police to work with federal immigration officials to pursue "criminal aliens," Peden said:

"I do not want to go the same direction that Farmers Branch did. I don't believe that the city should be involved in that kind of legislation."

Farmers Branch City Councilman Charlie Bird encourages Friendswood City Council to approve the same ordinances aimed at illegal immigration as Farmers Branch.

Ours has already been written and paid for to the attorney," he said. "They'll stand up in federal courts."

Friendswood City Councilman John LeCour said he might be interested in similar laws for Friendswood.

"(Our borders) need to be controlled, and maybe it's something we can start here, a movement here that the state and the federal government should see that the citizens are serious," LeCour said.

He wants to get an opinion from City Attorney John Olson on the legality of Farmers Branch's ordinances.

LULAC likely would file a lawsuit against Friendswood if a proposition making English the city's official language were approved by voters, Dovalina said.

"There may be some additional work that we could do in the neighborhood with the voters to try and discourage them from passing this," Dovalina said.

"I compliment them that they're at least not doing this irrationally by a city council vote, as opposed to taking it out to the people."

Establishment of English as the city's official language would violate residents' rights, he said.

"People in the community would not have access to government programs," he said. "It could affect the medical community, in that they won't get the information necessary in their own language."

time i dusted off my old address book and called friends i met at church camp as a kid from Friendswood.

remember, we beat LULAC in Farmers Branch, we can beat them anywhere in TX.