Issue: Proof of Residency

Effective January, a state law will require everyone applying for a driver’s license to show proof of residency. What is your opinion of this law, and do you think such requirements might extend to other public amenities, such as schools and hospitals?

*

* Robin Toma, ACLU attorney It’s a terrible law. What is happening is that you are ensuring that people will be driving around without passing proper driving tests, which will make things more hazardous for everyone. In Los Angeles, a car is a survival tool. Public policy should not actually punish people for their immigrant status. In many instances, immigrants are born to parents who brought them here. They are being denied their right to survival. There will be a lot of unlicensed drivers, and the population will also be extremely vulnerable to crime because these undocumented people will be afraid to report them. This sort of thing borders on callousness and inhumanity; we’re treating people as if they don’t exist. Just because they’re immigrants doesn’t mean they can’t be treated with human decency and given certain rights.

*

* Ron Wilkins, Leimert Park resident and radio talk show host The right to employment is a human right, and driving is essential to work. It just should not be interfered with or taken away by any racist requirement for proof of residency.

*

* Martha Arevalo, communications coordinator, Central American Refugee Center The measure will not resolve the problem; it will actually cause problems. The government is blaming a voiceless community and trying to simplify the tremendously complex problems we are faced with. This state has problems with jobs; it’s in a state of economic chaos. Immigrants are not taking away big industries, nor are they part of the savings and loan fallout. . . . The governor is pushing emotional buttons of people to get votes, switching his own inefficiency as governor onto a community of people that have no real representation. People are still going to drive. Unlicensed people will drive without insurance, which is a great threat to our society. (The immigrant community) needs to be educated and integrated into society, not given more limitations.

*

* Bakari Santos, artist; Mid-City Laws in general are just not in favor of immigration. They’re getting tighter as we go along, and people are getting more isolated. This country is made up of immigrants, so this progression is very strange to me. On the one hand, the government is pushing free trade, but on the other, they don’t want people to migrate here. I am a legal resident, but I’m from Brazil and I see how difficult it’s getting for immigrants. This law will create a problem because people will drive without a license; no laws will stop anyone from driving. In Los Angeles, there is no mass transportation, and people depend on their cars. It’s going to cost taxpayers a lot of money to enforce this law, money that could be used to address other problems.

--Compiled by Erin J. Aubry , Times community correspondent