LA County votes to boycott Arizona by a 3-2 vote

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution by a 3-2 vote to boycott Arizona despite numerous objections from county residents. It was supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe who did not want the boycott and Zev Yaroslavsky, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Gloria Molina who voted to boycott the Grand Canyon State.

In an article from the Los Angeles Times, Supervisor Molina said, "This law simply goes too far. A lot of people have pointed out that I am sworn as an L.A. County supervisor to uphold the Constitution. All I can say is that I believe that Arizona's law is unconstitutional."

A statement from Supervisor Antonovich reads a lot differently; "The propaganda by both the media and others is intentionally misleading because Arizona’s law mirrors federal law. Rather than debating a boycott, this Board should hold our federal representatives accountable for their failure to act on immigration reform but also for their failure to reimburse costs incurred by local government.

One of the residents speaking out against the boycott was Jamiel Shaw Sr. whose son was gunned down by an alleged illegal immigrant.

While his mother was serving the country in Iraq, Jamiel Shaw Jr. was shot and killed on his way home from the mall. He was 17-years old. The kicker is that he was allegedly murdered by a Mexican gang member who was released from prison less than 24 hours earlier and the killer was in the country illegally plus he had a lengthy criminal record.

His father, Jamiel Shaw Sr. said in an interview with Fox News that if California would have had a similar law to Arizona’s SB1070 his son would be alive today. Shaw spoke at the LA County Board meeting denouncing the county board for boycotting Arizona when they should be protecting California residents.

The politicians, the Sheriff Department and the LA Police Department say they don’t have to enforce the 287G law, Shaw said. Yet, “these immigrants want you to feel sorry for their plight because they are coming here for the American dream, but they’re giving us the American nightmare.”

The vote didn’t escape the contentious Republican gubernatorial race candidate Steve Poizner and he joined L.A. County Supervisor Antonovich to condemn the recent vote by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to boycott Arizona.

“Supervisor Antonovich demonstrated both courage and wisdom in standing up for a state’s right to demand that federal immigration laws be enforced. Supervisor Antonovich is correct to focus the Board on the real needs of the citizens of Los Angeles County, such as trying to stop the flow of illegal immigration,” said Poizner. “As governor, I will crack down on illegal immigration by ending the economic magnets that draw undocumented workers to California. I’m the only candidate to call for the revocation of business licenses of any employer that knowingly hires undocumented workers.”

Poizner also announced a new policy initiative that builds on his aggressive immigration proposals for the state of California. He promised that he will issue an executive order requiring all businesses contracting with California state agencies to verify the employment eligibility of their employees.

Furthermore, Poizner said he will conduct an extensive audit of all state contractors to identify any that have hired illegal immigrants.

“States must engage in bold, definitive action to stop illegal immigration. That’s why I support both the 2007 Arizona law, which cracked down on employer hiring of illegal immigrants, as well as Arizona’s recently passed immigration law. As governor, I will take the steps necessary to ensure that employers are following the law and that taxpayer dollars aren’t going to state contractors that hire illegal immigrants.”

A new Quinnipiac poll released this week found that nearly three-fourths of U.S. voters think boycotting Arizona is not a good idea. The national survey also said that most Americans support the law itself by a margin of 51 to 31 percent.


For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner