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Candidates are strangely quiet as voices of immigrants grow
During the rallies, Schwarzenegger left the state -- and neither Angelides nor Westly issued a statement
- Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, May 3, 2006


In California, where the emotional nationwide debate over immigration came to life Monday when hundreds of thousands of people marched in the streets, the three leading candidates for governor have been surprisingly passive in the discussion over the role of immigrants -- despite their personal connections to the issue.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-born immigrant and naturalized American citizen. Democratic Controller Steve Westly is married and has two children with a China-born immigrant, Anita Yu, who arrived in this country as a child. And Democratic Treasurer Phil Angelides is the proud son and grandson of Greek immigrants who has received strong support during his political career from Greek Americans.

But during the race for the top office in a state that is home to the largest number of immigrants in the nation -- and an estimated 3 million illegal immigrants -- the Republican governor and his two leading Democratic opponents have avoided making dramatic moves to put them out front on the issue.

On Monday, the day of the immigration rallies, Schwarzenegger issued no formal message either to schoolchildren who marched instead of going to class or to forces opposed to illegal immigration who have urged him to tighten the borders and enforce the law.

Indeed, he left California late in the day to attend a National Football League owners' meeting in Dallas.

He wasn't alone in sidestepping the issue: neither Angelides nor Westly issued a statement or addressed any of the public rallies around the state.

Barbara O'Connor, professor of political communication at Cal State Sacramento, said the immigration issue in the governor's race has become "the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.''

"Despite each of their personal connections to this issue, they know it is a visceral and bipolar clash of absolutes,'' she said. "And there's no win when you take a position on something like that; you're better off being quiet. You've got supporters on both sides -- so there's nothing in it for you.''

Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez of Los Angeles -- who attended two rallies Monday and has not been shy about his views on the matter -- said Tuesday that he's puzzled by the silence.

"When you have President Bush talking about how we can't scapegoat nor criminalize undocumented workers, and that we need to recognize our common humanity,'' he said, "you'd think you'd have everyone running for governor wanting to get to the front of the line.''

One reason for the delicate dance: Public polls dramatize the dangerous pitfalls of the immigration debate in California.

The most recent Field Poll showed that three-quarters of Californians support a path toward legalization for longtime illegal immigrants, and 60 percent back a temporary workers' program.

But there's also a note of strong caution: Two-thirds of the state's voters strongly oppose a measure repeatedly endorsed by Democratic legislators -- providing driver's licenses to illegal aliens. And a majority of Californians support the idea of requiring illegal immigrants who have been here less than two years to leave the country, the poll shows.

California's role as a bellwether on immigration issues also plays a part in the candidates' caution, analysts said. The state was the birthplace of Proposition 187, a measure to deny public services to illegal immigrants, which played a key role in helping Republican Gov. Pete Wilson win re-election in 1994 -- and, analysts said, alienated millions of Latino voters from the GOP.

But "the hidden secret in all this is ... while everyone's focused on how this has divided the Republican Party, it has the potential to seriously divide the Democratic Party, too," said UC Berkeley political science professor Bruce Cain. "There are a lot (of people) in the unions who are concerned: second- and third-generation Latinos who are concerned that wages are driven down (by illegal immigration)." And environmental groups that tend to support Democrats, such as the Sierra Club, have expressed concern about the implications of growth and more immigration on the environment.

Increasingly, voters on both sides are worried about how waves of low-paid immigrants "can have an effect on county hospitals and schools, and nearly everyone's severely impacted by taking care of them,'' Cain said.

"In the Democratic Party, except for certain elements, there's lukewarm support for immigration reform and a lot of potential strife," Cain said. "I don't think anyone wants to touch that one.''

Still, some party insiders are looking for a Democrat to become a public voice of the party on the issue.

Núñez argues that Democrats and Republicans must "deal with the two fundamental issues which drive the debate -- and do it in a responsible way. You need to deal with the border security issue ... (because) that's when middle America starts taking you seriously.''

"Then you've got to say we create a path to legalization and citizenship for undocumented people in this country -- so long as they are committed to paying taxes, they have a work history, they make an effort to learn English and they pay a fine,'' he said.

"These are not people who want to bring down the First World,'' he said. "These are people who want to embrace America.''

Some Democrats say Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is another potential spokesman on the issue.

"He brings an immigrant experience, a face with an understanding of what diversity looks like in Los Angeles; he's someone who has been profoundly impacted by the laws and culture. He has a moral center, and he's unwavering," said Gloria Nieto, a gay Latina and Democratic activist and former Democratic National Committee member. "I'd like to see him do it ... because (national Democratic Party chief) Howard Dean can't speak with that kind of credibility."

Democratic strategist Chris Lehane said Westly and Angelides "should be talking about it as much as possible because it reflects so well on them.''

"If Democrats speak confidently and with the right tone, it's a win-win,'' Lehane said of the debate on immigration. "The Republicans have moved so far to the right on this issue ... they've completely opened up the compassionate center for Democrats.''

But Schwarzenegger, too, has the chance to make a bold move -- and recoup ground lost among Latinos and independents when he appeared last year to endorse the Minutemen, a citizen border-patrol group.

"He is an immigrant; he can tell a great story," Lehane said. "He can end up at the compassionate center, which -- at a policy level -- can make a lot of sense. And he can question the extremists in the Republican Party nationally, which, if not racist, are pretty damn close.

"If his mind-set here is to move to the center and be a truly nonpartisan governor for the state where the Latino population is critical, he could seize this and get ahead of the game, but he hasn't done it.''



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Democrats to debate
What: Debate between Phil Angelides and Steve Westly, Democratic candidates for governor.

When: 7-8 p.m. today in Los Angeles.

Sponsor: California League of Conservation Voters.

Bay Area TV: Live on KGO-TV, Channel 7, in San Francisco.

Next: The candidates are scheduled to meet May 10 in San Francisco for a debate sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of California and The Chronicle, CBS-5 TV in San Francisco, KQED-TV and other Bay Area media outlets.