California Dream Act

UC Berkeley announced a $1-million grant Tuesday to boost financial aid for undocumented students, which is thought to be the largest gift of its kind in the nation. The donation from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund will supplement state aid for undocumented students that is scheduled to roll out over the next two semesters in a policy change authorized by the California Dream Act. Undocumented students will be eligible for state aid but not for federal grants or loans, and the donation - along with other private funds - will help fill in the gaps, officials said.

UC Berkeley announced a $1-million grant Tuesday to boost financial aid for undocumented students, which is thought to be the largest gift of its kind in the nation. The donation from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund will supplement state aid for undocumented students that is scheduled to roll out over the next two semesters in a policy change authorized by the California Dream Act. Undocumented students will be eligible for state aid but not for federal grants or loans, and the donation - along with other private funds - will help fill in the gaps, officials said.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday granted illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges, putting California once again in the center of the nation's immigration debate. But he vetoed a measure that would have allowed state universities to consider applicants' race, gender and income to ensure diversity in their student populations. Deciding the fate of 50 education-related bills, the governor also rejected an effort to make it more difficult to establish charter schools.

Reporting from Sacramento -- Critics of illegal immigration announced Friday that they were unable to obtain the needed 500,000 petition signatures to ask voters to repeal the California Dream Act. The two-part measure, which allows undocumented immigrants access to both public and private financial aid at UC and Cal State campuses and at community colleges, was signed into law last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The failure "is disappointing news," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-San Bernardino)

Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) has spent much of his legislative career trying to persuade lawmakers to grant financial help to undocumented immigrant students attending state colleges or universities. Until recently, his proposals stalled. Some opponents argued that extending such benefits would encourage more illegal immigration and displace deserving students who are in the U.S. legally. Others said such efforts would give false hope to students who would be ineligible for jobs once they graduate.

In the parking lot of a closed Pasadena restaurant, a handful of tea party volunteers huddled under a tent to escape a sudden downpour of rain. They were there to gather signatures to repeal AB 131, or the California Dream Act, which gives illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges. The rain smudged their signs, they were shouted at by a driver who called them racist, and the turnout was lower than they'd hoped. But they were undaunted.

The college dreams of thousands of students who are illegal immigrants moved closer to fulfillment Wednesday after the state Senate approved a bill that for the first time would give them access to public financial aid. Part of a two-bill package known as the California Dream Act, the measure would allow undocumented students who qualify for reduced in-state tuition to apply for Cal Grants, community college waivers and other public aid programs....

Reporting from Sacramento -- Critics of illegal immigration announced Friday that they were unable to obtain the needed 500,000 petition signatures to ask voters to repeal the California Dream Act. The two-part measure, which allows undocumented immigrants access to both public and private financial aid at UC and Cal State campuses and at community colleges, was signed into law last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The failure "is disappointing news," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-San Bernardino)

A day after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law giving thousands of illegal immigrant college students access to private scholarship funds, immigrant advocates said they are aiming for a far bigger prize: California public grants. "It was a good step forward, but the glass is still half-empty," said Ivan Ceja, 19, a Fullerton community college student who was illegally brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a baby. At a Los Angeles town hall gathering Monday, Brown signed into law AB 130, which will allow undocumented students who qualify for reduced in-state tuition to apply for $88 million in private scholarship funds administered by the University of California, Cal State University and the California Community Colleges.

His middle name is Diego, so I'm going to call him that, and I'll tell you he's 23. But if I give away too much identifying information, he's sure to lose his job. Or worse. Diego, who works in retail, was born in Mexico and got some tough news when he was 8. His parents couldn't find enough work to pay the bills, so they were leaving the kids behind and heading to the United States. Diego and his two little sisters stayed with their grandmother in Oaxaca for a year until they got the call to move to California.

In the parking lot of a closed Pasadena restaurant, a handful of tea party volunteers huddled under a tent to escape a sudden downpour of rain. They were there to gather signatures to repeal AB 131, or the California Dream Act, which gives illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges. The rain smudged their signs, they were shouted at by a driver who called them racist, and the turnout was lower than they'd hoped. But they were undaunted.

Many Californians worry that they are being priced out of the state's public university systems, and they object to allowing illegal immigrants the same financial aid that U.S. citizens can receive at the campuses, a new poll has found. Fifty-five percent of the voters questioned said they oppose a new state law known as the California DREAM Act. It will permit undocumented students who graduated from California high schools and meet other requirements to receive taxpayer aid to attend the University of California, Cal State and community colleges starting in 2013.

Christians only? Re "Romney's faith back in spotlight," Oct. 9 So, according to Texas pastor Robert Jeffress, the next president should be of a "sincere, authentic, genuine Christian faith. " I always thought one's choice for president should be based on a candidate's policies, intelligence, ethics and integrity. The president governs a nation that includes, as well as evangelicals, mainline Christians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, agnostics, atheists and many others.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday granted illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges, putting California once again in the center of the nation's immigration debate. But he vetoed a measure that would have allowed state universities to consider applicants' race, gender and income to ensure diversity in their student populations. Deciding the fate of 50 education-related bills, the governor also rejected an effort to make it more difficult to establish charter schools.

You can look it up Re "Frosted by the 'diversity' bake sale," Sept. 28 To make their bake sale truly reflective of affirmative action, the Berkeley College Republicans should have made known what led up to this policy. They should have found a store owned by a Mexican and then forcibly taken it from him and killed all those who dared to resist. Then they should have enslaved several black families and forced them to make the baked goods. Then, to complete the event, they should have imported some Asians and paid them starvation wages to ferry the goods to UC Berkeley.

Sacramento native Shawn Lewis knows the value of student financial aid. The son of a struggling single mom, Lewis says he never would have been able to attend UC Berkeley without the $24,000 in annual state grants and private scholarships he receives to pursue his political science degree and dreams of law school. But Gov. Jerry Brown is now considering whether to sign landmark legislation that would extend state financial aid to illegal immigrants who are college students. And that makes Lewis anxious.

Spelling it out Re "Residents near Hollywood sign want tourists to get lost," Sept. 19 Headlines such as this one may sell papers, but they do not contribute to a constructive and productive conversation. Hollywoodland bears no hostility toward tourists. Unlike world-famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, the Hollywood sign is surrounded by more than 4,000 acres of highly flammable brush. Unaware of this fact, tourists from around the world frequently discard cigarettes in an area subject to extremely hazardous brush fires.