Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the history of Prop 187?

Ten years after Prop 187 was passed by nearly 60% of the voters, the qualification of this new measure for the ballot in November of 2004 will finally give Californians an opportunity to fulfill the will of the people and to correct an injustice that denied them their “day in court”.

After a lengthy legal challenge by the ACLU, the Attorney General gave in and agreed to a “Summary Judgment” requested by the ACLU, promising to appeal the case to a higher court. But there was no appeal. Gray Davis settled the case “out of court” in a mediated agreement, and Prop 187 was killed in a back room deal.

None of the supporters of Prop 187 were allowed to speak in its defense and the only evidence presented by the State, a series of reports by public agencies showing how the measure could be implemented constitutionally, was sealed by the judge; the public was not allowed to see it.

The voters were outmaneuvered by the politicians, but the recall of the Governor who committed this travesty has changed the political landscape. It’s a new day in California. The people are back, and they’re stronger than ever.

The recall was followed up by the repeal of SB 60, a law giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Knowing that the vast majority of Californians disapproved of SB 60’s intent, the legislature passed it anyway, until the people gathered enough signatures to force a referendum.

To prevent the issue from being voted on in March; the legislature repealed SB 60. But now we know that the same law will be introduced again next year. The politicians have pulled another “fast one” on the people; they must be stopped. Only a constitutional amendment will prevent them from doing this again. The new version of Prop 187 will resolve this problem once and for all.

Our new proposed law will prevent illegal aliens from getting California driver’s licenses and will prohibit the use of “Matricular Consular” cards, and other foreign issued documents intended solely for use by illegal aliens, and not even accepted in their own countries.

One of the reasons why illegal aliens want legitimate documents is to show residency, which will, in turn, make it easier for them to obtain public benefits.

Federal law says that it is a “compelling government interest to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits”. Federal law denies non-emergency public benefits to illegals and California should follow that example. The State of California cannot continue to encourage illegal immigration and at the same time, expect the federal government to be able to secure our borders. It isn’t possible.

We must bring State law into alignment with federal guidelines, and finally begin to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in support of national immigration policy.

2. How is this intiative different from Prop 187?

Is doesn't include Prop 187's prohibition of public schooling for illegal aliens, it only addresses the problem of public benefits for illegals. By pursuing education separtely as a lawsuit in Federal court, we remove the issue of constitutionality for the rest of the measure. Federal law allows us to deny public benefits to illegals, if we want to. But we're required to pass a law to say so. This new measure does exactly that.

3. What will this initiative do?

It will deny public benefits to any applicants who aren't in the United States legally, requiring public employees who distribute those benefits to verify the immigration status of everyone, regardless of race or national origin, before benefits can be given. It will also prevent illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses that could otherwise indicate legal residency and qualify them for public benefits. And finally, it will prevent public agencies from using unverified foreign ID cards (such as the Matricular Consular) for identity purposes in California.

4. How many signatures do you need to qualify for the ballot?

We need 598,000 valid signatures.

5. When can we vote on this?

If we gather the necessary signatures, we'll be on the ballot in November.

6. Why are you doing this now?

Illegal immigration has gotten progressively worse since 1994. Now, just about everybody understand the extent of the problem. The referendum against driver's licenses for illegal aliens (SB 60) collected half a million signatures in just a few weeks. That proved that the people can take action when they need to. Now is the time for action!

7. How do you plan to get the signatures?

The internet is the principle tool that we have. We don't have any paid staff, we're all volunteers; so we need as many people as possible downloading the petition and giving it out to others. We're also hoping to pay for signatures if we can raise enough money. That would guarantee that we will qualify for the ballot.

8. What if I can't download the petition?

Let us know if you have a problem, we can send the petition to you as an e-mail attachment, which should help solve the problem, or we can mail it to you. Either way, we want to be sure that you have a petition, and as many copies of it as you need.