An initiative proposing an Arizona-style immigration law in California has been cleared for circulation.
The California measure would make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to look for work while hiding their status. It would also make it illegal for employers to hire undocumented immigrants, either “intentionally or negligently.”
The initiative’s proponent is Michael Erickson, a San Francisco Bay Area Republican. In a video on his website, Erickson says the goal is to put in place a law like Arizona’s controversial Senate Bill 1070. His measure contains a similar clause, which requires police to investigate the legal status of someone they’ve already stopped if there’s a reasonable suspicion they’re in the country illegally.
The California Secretary of State has authorized Erickson to begin gathering signatures. He has until April to gather more than 430,000 of them in order to place the measure on the ballot. SOC
