Jerry Brown signs Dream Act for illegal immigrants
Nanette Asimov,Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writers
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Sacramento -- Thousands of California students in the country illegally will be eligible to receive state financial aid to attend public colleges, as Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Saturday known as the California Dream Act.
But Brown ducked a costly legal battle over affirmative action by vetoing a bill that would have let California's public universities consider an applicant's race and sex in admission decisions.
"I wholeheartedly agree with the goal of this legislation," Brown said in his veto message of SB185. But because of Prop. 209 - the 1996 constitutional amendment approved by California voters that outlaws "preferential treatment" on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, education or contracting - Brown said the courts, not the Legislature, should decide if changes can be made.
The decisions came as the governor continued to work through the hundreds of bills passed by the Legislature at the end of the session last month, including vetoing other measures dealing with charter schools and measurements of student performance. He has until midnight tonight to complete his work on 142 remaining bills.
The California Dream Act - AB131 - has been one of the most-watched bills on the governor's desk. The law, which takes effect in 2013, still must be approved by the UC regents, but they are expected to support the measure.
Opponents favoring stricter immigration laws are warning that they will try to block the measure through a referendum on next year's ballot.
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