WASHINGTON — Residents of the San Fernando Valley are increasingly outraged about illegal immigration--if not immigration generally--in the face of economic hard times, growing congestion, widespread crime and a dramatic influx of Latinos, say lawmakers and community activists.
Valley lawmakers in Washington, in turn, have been in the forefront of those calling for hard-line measures intended to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants.
The Valley has been in the vanguard of a rising backlash throughout Southern California and elsewhere against the tide of newcomers, particularly those crossing the Mexican border, according to voices raised at town meetings and in focus groups, polls and election campaigns.
The outcry--expressed in recent years about issues ranging from day laborers congregating on street corners to undocumented women giving birth at public hospitals--cuts across political and racial lines. It coincides with a major increase regionally in legal and illegal immigrants.
"This is probably the most significant issue discussed in the Valley," said Richard H. Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., who maintains that many Anglos, in particular, are uneasy about the changing demographic face of the community.
"There is a perception that the Valley is being overrun by illegal immigrants who are causing most of the crime, who are causing most of the graffiti and who are causing the physical decline."
For some, the reaction of Valley residents is a natural outgrowth of onerous burdens--including budget-busting social service, education and criminal-justice costs--thrust upon Southern California by the nation's porous immigration laws.
But others say that legitimate concerns about pervasive legal violations have been blown out of proportion because immigrants are commonly made scapegoats during tough times for complex economic and social problems.
Certainly, the groundswell has been apparent for some time to members of Congress who represent the Valley. All of them agree that the country's efforts to stem illegal immigration have largely failed.
Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale) has sponsored legislation for at least the past four years to beef up the Border Patrol. The House passed a bill in July to add 600 new agents, a step President Clinton endorsed last week.
