CA Illegal Immigration Initiative Signature Drive

A new ballot initiative has been OK'd in California for an immigration law modeled on Arizona's law. Michael Erickson may start gathering signatures in order to get the initiative on the next ballot. He needs 433,971 valid signatures by April 21, 2011.

The proposal makes it a state crime for illegal aliens to seek work while hiding their immigration status, or for employers to “intentionally or negligently” hire an illegal. Also, all highway patrol, police, sheriff’s deputies and other officers will be required to investigate a person’s immigration status if they are “reasonably suspicious” that the person they stopped is in the country illegally. The proposal also allows legal residents to sue officials or agencies if they refuse to carry out immigration enforcement.

The difference with Arizona’s law is that officers would have to contact federal immigration authorities and conduct immigration checks within a “timely manner” and could not hold a person for a long period of time.

Michael Erickson, of Republicans for National Interest is a Tea Party activist in Belmont, CA, and is a former chair of the Sonoma County Republican Party.

The decision to allow a petition drive for this initiative was announced late Tuesday afternoon November 23, 2010 by the California Secretary of State.