Shrider column: Illegal immigrants given more rights yet again

BY MARYLEE SHRIDER,
contributing columnist
mshrider@bakersfield.com.

http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/colu ... 93164.html

Despite all his tough talk about securing borders and immigration reform, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month signed AB 976, making California
the first state in the union to prohibit landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status.

Talk about your dubious distinctions.

Not a single Senate or Assembly Republican voted in support of the bill, but the governor -- never one to fret over party loyalties -- signed anyway.

The governor's approval of the bill made Bakersfield Assemblywoman Jean Fuller so mad, she fired off a letter to The Californian's editorial page, blasting the bill for "making it easier for illegal immigrants to stay" in the United States.

"I was really angry on the floor when this passed," Fuller said. "Part of the reason I was so upset is the second part of the bill really trespasses on landlords' right to protect their businesses."

The bill prohibits cities and counties from enacting ordinances requiring landlords to determine the immigration status of potential tenants and booting out those here illegally. Such an ordinance was enacted in the city of Escondido, where landlords who failed to comply would have been subject to substantial fines or the loss of their business licenses. The Escondido bill was challenged in court and quickly rescinded.

So it's doubtful any city council that reads a newspaper would try that again, but Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Industry, penned the new bill anyway, slamming the Escondido ordinance for targeting "people of color." It didn't. It targeted illegal immigrants, but such rhetoric surely grabs at the hearts of landlords who fear the threat of possible legal reprisals.

The problem now is Calderon's bill actually forbids landlords to even ask prospective tenants about their citizenship status.

"The point of asking is so landlords can protect their financial assets from someone who is more likely to flee the country," Fuller said. "This bill is a special protection to a person who does not have legal status and is breaking immigration laws."

Oddly enough, the Apartment Association of California Southern Cities and other apartment owner groups were among the measure's main supporters.

Malcom Bennett president of the association, said the bill does, in fact, allow landlords to ask for the documents they need in order to protect their businesses.

"We're not forbidden to do it, we're just not required to do it," Bennett said of citizenship inquiries. "We can verify a person's identity and credit history. We (landlords) know what we can ask for."

Maybe so. But the don't-ask-don't-tell policy established by this bill sends yet another message to California's illegals that there's no rush to pack their bags just yet.

***

Schwarzenegger may not have the final word on SB 777, the bill he signed banning anything in public schools that could have "a discriminatory bias" against homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexuality or "other alternate lifestyles."

Laws that protect all children from harassment are already in force, but, in October, Schwarzenegger signed the ambiguously worded bill anyway.

Californians voted several years ago to define marriage as between a man and a woman, but heaven forbid a teacher say so in the classroom. Unbelievably, the California Teachers Association and the California State Parent Teacher Association were among the supporters of this extremist piece of legislation.

Now, some pro-family watchdogs are calling for a referendum to prevent the implementation of the bill, which goes into effect on Jan. 1. The Capitol Resource Institute must collect over half a million signatures to qualify for the June 2008 ballot and they need to do it quickly.

They're looking for like-minded individuals and groups to help collect signatures. To find out how to help, visit www.saveourkids.net.