San Fran ID cards for ILLEGALS
Ammiano reveals more details of his plan to issue city ID cards
Robert Selna, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The sponsor of legislation to make San Francisco the first major U.S. city to issue municipal identification cards to immigrants unable to get traditional forms of ID filled in some details of the proposal Wednesday and received strong support from labor and immigrant rights groups at a City Hall hearing.
Supervisor Tom Ammiano introduced the legislation in September that would give every person living in San Francisco the option of obtaining a city-issued identification card. But the impetus is to help and encourage illegal immigrants to gain access to public health, safety and other government services, as well as to make it easier for them to open bank accounts.
Ammiano opened the hearing Wednesday by underscoring those features, saying immigrants who may be in the country illegally but are contributing residents of the city frequently are fearful of reporting crimes and are vulnerable to becoming crime victims when they hold or store large amounts of cash.
"This means that perpetrators continue to roam the streets and are free to strike again," Ammiano said. "These safety issues are compounded when people who can't get bank accounts keep their money on their person or at home, further making them targets of crime."
The proposal - supported by Mayor Gavin Newsom and several other supervisors - comes as San Francisco faces criticism nationwide for its status as a sanctuary city, which means city policy forbids using any city resources to enforce federal immigration law. Foes of the ID card plan favor tougher restrictions on immigration and say it would undermine federal law.
As the proposed legislation now stands, residents would be required to complete an application form, show proof of identity and San Francisco residency to receive a city ID card.
For immigrants without state ID or a passport, identity could be demonstrated by providing any number of documents, from a foreign birth certificate, to a Social Security card.
To prove residency, applicants would be asked to present documents showing both a name and a residential address in San Francisco. Those documents include utility bills, rental agreements, homeless shelter forms and bank statements.
Two notable amendments were added to the legislation Wednesday. One would require that applicants sign forms under penalty of perjury. The other would allow police to ask for more proof of identity during criminal investigations.
The legislation creating the identification program also would require any nonprofit organization or business receiving city funds to also accept the municipal ID card.
The city identification card would not substitute for state and federal identification required for work, travel and other purposes.
Outstanding questions remain about how much the program could cost. The only cost analysis was conducted by the county clerk's office based on statistics from New Haven, Conn. New Haven is the only other city to issue ID cards, but has 650,000 fewer residents than San Francisco and has only been processing cards since July.
The study estimated San Francisco would need to hire 13 employees to start the program - at a cost of between $423,000 and $1.1 million annually. In each of the next two years, the costs could be $35,000 to $870,000, according to the study.
A report by city Budget Analyst Harvey Rose noted that those estimates are based on 93,208 people - or 12 percent of San Francisco's population - applying for cards every year.
Rose, Ammiano and others predicted the number of applications will slow after an initial demand in the first year.
"It looks like the broad estimate is larger than what's really going to happen," said Ammiano, noting the city could hire temporary workers to start the program.
A committee vote to send the measure to the full Board of Supervisors is expected next month.
Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, which represents more than 150 labor unions, testified in favor of the ID cards Wednesday.
"This is an opportunity for all San Franciscans to have access to services and a quality of life that all residents should be living," Paulson said.
E-mail Robert Selna at rselna@sfchronicle.com.
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Get rid of all the Illegals!
I wish every single one of the Illegals would pile up in California and then wish California would finally break off and sink every dang one of em! Hmmm...before that though all the crooked & greedy politicians should visit there too :idea:
