BURBANK/GLENDALE : 2 Groups to Discuss ‘Save Our State’ Plan

Two local groups will meet separately next week to debate the merits of the so-called “Save Our State” initiative, a controversial measure that would eliminate most public services to illegal immigrants if passed.

The League of Women Voters of Glendale/Burbank will host a forum on Proposition 187 at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Glendale Board of Education building, 223 N. Jackson St.

The statewide initiative, which will go before voters on the Nov. 6 ballot, would deny public education, non-emergency health care and public social services to people who are not legally in the United States.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will feature Harry Pachon, a professor at Scripps College in Claremont and a former consultant to the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Pachon will give a presentation titled “Prop 187: SOS or False Alarm?”

“Proponents of the initiative believe that (it) will save the state and local governments millions of dollars,” said Dick Seeley, an organizer of the event. But opponents warn that denying public schooling to illegal immigrants is unconstitutional, and denying them health care could lead to “acute emergencies,” he said.

Also on Sept. 22, Tom Chabolla, director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, will speak on the same topic at 7:30 p.m. at St. Bede’s Church, 214 Foothill Blvd., La Canada.