S.J. CAHN
Last week, when writing about the horde of political literature that
has been inundating Newport-Mesa mailboxes, I noted that illegal
immigration appears to be a central campaign issue. I also aired my
skepticism that it really would be a driving force for voters come
Tuesday.
And then I attended a candidate forum Friday morning, where the
issue played front and center in both the 35th state Senate and 70th
Assembly races. Perhaps, I thought, there is more to this debate than
I think.
So, I e-mailed a few of the Assembly candidates to ask why they
thought voters would react to it.
"The issue of illegal immigration has been at least as important
to the voters as the budget, judging from what people say to me when
I'm walking the neighborhoods knocking on doors, and from the
questions we get at the various candidate for a," Irvine resident Don
Wagner said.
"I think that the public sees in this issue much of what's wrong
with state government," he added. "Too much money is spent making the
state hospitable to illegal aliens at a time when the state just
doesn't have the money to spend. Taxpayers rightly resent their hard
earned dollars going to those who break the law."
One of his opponents and fellow Irvine resident, Chuck DeVore,
said: "The issues I hear about most often are the national security
implications of illegal aliens, frustration over those here illegally
getting social welfare benefits from the taxpayers and the complete
lack of local and state law enforcement assistance to federal
immigration authorities," DeVore said. "While the federal government
is in the driver's seat on immigration policy, we ought to do what we
can to reduce the incentives for illegal aliens to come to
California."
Corona del Mar's Cristi Cristich sees budgetary reasons behind
voters' concerns.
"Illegal immigration is a major issue this year because we are in
a budget crisis and to the extent that as state legislators we can
impact this issue it is important for the voters to know where we
stand," she said.
"Illegal immigration costs taxpayers billions of dollars every
year from providing social services, to housing illegal alien felons
in our prisons. When the state is facing a multibillion dollar
deficit, illegal immigration historically becomes an important
issue."
But why take this particular route into budgetary issues?
A comment from Wagner offers a possible rationale: "I've spent
five years on the Board of Trustees of the South Orange County
