Illegal Aliens State Aid

Departing from his tough talk on the campaign trail, Gov. Pete Wilson sought compassion for some of California's most needy illegal immigrants Tuesday by asking the state to continue spending millions of dollars for their care. State officials acknowledged that some of the exemptions Wilson sought might violate Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot measure he vigorously championed to cut benefits for illegal immigrants.

Gov. Gray Davis has quietly ended California's efforts to deny pregnancy care for tens of thousands of illegal immigrants--a battle that became a hallmark of the administration of former Gov. Pete Wilson and a symbol of the state's hardball immigration politics earlier this decade. Deep in a budget bill signed by the new governor late last week is a provision authorizing a state-funded prenatal care program for undocumented women.

Gov. Pete Wilson's sweeping plan to ban illegal immigrants from a constellation of state programs faces a fundamental challenge: devising a system that determines who is a legal resident and who is not. "Verification [of immigration status] is going to be very critical," said Kathleen M. Sullivan, an adjunct professor of immigration law at UC's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. "Having the system take on enormous new burdens is going to be very hard."

It should be an easy sell, especially to the needy: free medical care, food coupons and other government benefits. But more than 400,000 Los Angeles County residents eligible for such aid--mostly children--have not signed up. Many families even pass on free immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases. The principal reason, say experts, is that immigrants fear receipt of such services may jeopardize their legal status or keep loved ones out of the United States.

The Wilson administration's plan to cut off subsidized prenatal care for illegal immigrants will result in an increased incidence of sexually transmitted disease, endangering tens of thousands of mothers, their children and their partners, according to a Los Angeles County study released Wednesday. "Prenatal care is critical for communicable disease control in pregnant women," said Dr. Gary A.

Gov. Pete Wilson's determination to end publicly funded prenatal care for illegal immigrants has spawned one of the first flurries in what is likely to become a nationwide blizzard of litigation arising from the new federal welfare law. Anticipating imminent action by Wilson, activists are seeking a hearing in U.S.

Weighing in on the volatile issue of illegal immigration, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to oppose a statewide ballot initiative that would deny many public services to undocumented residents. The board's 3-2 vote, with Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana dissenting, was an advisory motion that carries no force but sends an important political message.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ordered county officials to report back within a month on the potential ramifications to county programs of Gov. Pete Wilson's executive order last week directing state agencies to stop providing public services for illegal immigrants. The supervisors asked new county Chief Administrative Officer David E. Janssen to provide the information in an update on the impact of the landmark welfare reform bill signed by President Clinton last month.

Having once been an illegal immigrant, Dr. Luz Medina well understands the pervasive apprehension she detects these days from expectant mothers who come to the Eastside clinic where she works. "I try to tell them we won't let their benefits be cut off," Medina said during a break between examinations at the Community Health Foundation of East Los Angeles. It is advice being offered time and again by those who work with illegal immigrants after a controversial directive by Gov.

California authorities Tuesday agreed not to cut off prenatal care for thousands of illegal immigrant women until the issue is reviewed by a federal judge. Gov. Pete Wilson has announced plans to end the prenatal assistance as part of the state's compliance with the new federal welfare act. Opponents say the move is little more than a back-door attempt to implement Proposition 187. Proposition 187, passed by California voters two years ago, would ban most public assistance to illegal immigrants.

Call Gov. Gray Davis a wimp. Say he's indecisive and gutless. Characterize his action on Proposition 187 as a gimmick. Go ahead, you'll have lots of company. Myself, I think Davis made the only move he realistically could have. It probably will turn out to be good politics and also good public policy. Indeed, he did a favor for Latino leaders and liberals--Prop. 187's hard-core opponents--although many have been moaning about his surprise decision to seek court mediation of the case.

Gov. Gray Davis, striving to mollify all sides in one of California's most gut-wrenching debates, announced Thursday that he will ask a federal appeals court to resolve Proposition 187's constitutional issues through closed-door mediation. The governor said he is not surrendering his authority to appeal the controversial measure to end government aid to illegal immigrants--which was found to be largely unconstitutional by a federal judge in Los Angeles last year.

Gov. Gray Davis, in one of several early attempts to reverse his Republican predecessor's policies, wants the state to spend $60 million on prenatal care for poor pregnant women who are illegal immigrants--money that former Gov. Pete Wilson repeatedly fought to cut from California's budget. Davis' budget plan for the next fiscal year would continue to allocate about $60 million for the prenatal services--expenditures that Wilson was battling in court.

In yet another blow to Gov. Pete Wilson's efforts to restrict health benefits for noncitizens, a state appeals court has blocked California from cutting off subsidized emergency care and prenatal services to thousands of immigrants--both legal and illegal--who entered the country with short-term visas.

Departing from his tough talk on the campaign trail, Gov. Pete Wilson sought compassion for some of California's most needy illegal immigrants Tuesday by asking the state to continue spending millions of dollars for their care. State officials acknowledged that some of the exemptions Wilson sought might violate Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot measure he vigorously championed to cut benefits for illegal immigrants.

A Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday preventing Gov. Pete Wilson from cutting off prenatal care next month for illegal immigrants. Wilson, declaring an emergency situation, had planned imminent implementation of a new federal welfare law that eliminates such benefits. But Judge William Cahill held that Wilson cannot proceed under an emergency regulation because state officials have failed to show that an emergency exists.

The Wilson administration's plan to cut off subsidized prenatal care for illegal immigrants will result in an increased incidence of sexually transmitted disease, endangering tens of thousands of mothers, their children and their partners, according to a Los Angeles County study released Wednesday. "Prenatal care is critical for communicable disease control in pregnant women," said Dr. Gary A.