CANOGA PARK : Prop. 187 Is Topic of Town Hall Meeting

Concerned that the controversial Proposition 187 would damage their community for years to come, a group of Latino activists in Canoga Park called a town hall meeting to discuss the measure.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block will be among the speakers at the forum, to be held Tuesday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, 22021 Gault St. in Canoga Park.

Sponsored by an informal group called Parents of Canoga Park, the purpose of the meeting is to register voters and pass along the group’s views on the measure.

“If this measure passes--and a lot of people are in favor of it--we’re going to be left with a whole lot of kids out of school. And what are those kids going to do?” said Sandy Kievman of the San Fernando Valley Partnership, which helped organize the parents group and is helping with the meeting.

The “Save Our State” initiative would deny illegal immigrants access to public education, as well as non-emergency health care and social services.

Proponents say the measure would save the state millions of dollars and improve services to those who pay for them. Opposition groups contend it would cause numerous problems.

“It will have a lot of negative implications in terms of law enforcement, in terms of teachers. There’s a lot of economic implications too,” said Ed Moreno, a member of the parents group.

In addition to Block, other speakers at Tuesday’s meeting will include a Los Angeles Unified School District official discussing possible effects on education and a spokesman from the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who will talk about moral implications of the measure.