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Statewide Call-In Special -- Proposition 187: 25 Years Later
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Oct 30, 2019
Listen 50:28
Statewide Call-In Special -- Proposition 187: 25 Years Later
The debate over illegal immigration in California reached a boiling point 25 years ago. The clash was crystalized in the battle over Proposition 187, a ballot measure that sought to bar the state’s undocumented population from accessing public benefits, among other things. Billions in taxpayer money, proponents argued, would be saved by 187. Opponents called it “anti-immigrant.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 01: A marcher carries a sign which translates that the immigrants are not the enemies on May Day, on May 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Numerous May Day, or International Workers Day, marches are taking place in the greater Los Angeles area, and in cities across the nation. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
A marcher carries a sign which translates that the immigrants are not the enemies in Los Angeles, California.
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David McNew/Getty Images
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The debate over illegal immigration in California reached a boiling point 25 years ago. The clash was crystalized in the battle over Proposition 187, a ballot measure that sought to bar the state’s undocumented population from accessing public benefits, among other things. Billions in taxpayer money, proponents argued, would be saved by 187. Opponents called it “anti-immigrant.”

The debate over illegal immigration in California reached a boiling point 25 years ago. The clash was crystallized in the battle over Proposition 187, a ballot measure that sought to bar the state’s undocumented population from accessing public benefits, among other things. Billions in taxpayer money, proponents argued, would be saved by 187. Opponents called it “anti-immigrant.”

On November 8, 1994, Californian voters approved the measure. But a court ruling blocked it from going into effect.

How did 187 change California politics? How significant was its impact? And how did it change the lives of Californians?

On Nov 6, from 11 a.m. to noon, KPCC’s Larry Mantle hosts an hour long, statewide call-in show with NPR affiliates Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, Valley Public Radio in the Central Valley, and KPBS in San Diego to explore these questions and more.

Join the conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722 or tweet using the hashtag #25After187

Guests:

Sen. María Elena Durazo, Democratic California State Senator representing Senate District 24, which includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Highland Park, and Los Feliz; she tweets at 

Fernando Guerra, professor of Political Science and Chicana/o Latina/o Studies and director of the Center for the Study Of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles

Gloria Molina, former CA State Assemblywoman serving the 56th District, which encompasses the Imperial Valley and parts of the Coachella Valley; former Los Angeles City Councilwoman; former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; first Chicana elected to the California State Assembly; she tweets at 

Sean Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and H.W. Bush

Pete Wilson, 36th Governor of California (1991 - 1999)

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, All Things Considered, AirTalk Friday
Senior Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Apprentice News Clerk, AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek