Gov. Urged to Call Border Emergency
Schwarzenegger resists the tactic as lawmakers seek money to fight crime associated with illegal immigration from Mexico.
By Nancy Vogel, Times Staff Writer
SACRAMENTO — Pressure built Thursday within Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's own party for him to follow the example of Democratic governors in New Mexico and Arizona and declare a state of emergency along the Mexican border.
Even though Schwarzenegger insists that border conditions aren't dire enough to justify such a declaration — and that California law would not permit it anyway — four Republican lawmakers announced plans to introduce legislation that would give the governor explicit authority to declare an emergency because of illegal immigration.
"There is no question the problem of illegal immigration has reached emergency proportions," said one of the lawmakers, Assemblyman Ray Haynes, whose Murrieta district covers parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. He said migrant trafficking often makes people in his district fear for their lives.
Earlier this month, emergency declarations by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson freed up more than $2 million to deal with human trafficking, drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder and destruction of property along their borders.
Since then, bipartisan pressure has been building in California for Schwarzenegger to bolster order efforts with money diverted from other state projects....
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-border26aug26,0,6619086.story?coll=la-home-local