California Elections : Looking Back : Valley Students Who Fought Prop. 187 Reflect on a Battle Lost

They were disorganized, often petulant, dressed in baggy clothes and too young to even vote. But San Fernando Valley students waged one of the most visible campaigns in the statewide battle over Proposition 187, staging school walkouts and mass demonstrations.

And after a loud and furious two weeks, most spent Wednesday in quiet reflection.

The day after California voters overwhelmingly approved the initiative barring illegal immigrants from most government services, daily routines seemed to go on as usual, even at Valley clinics, welfare offices and schools--institutions where the measure is intended to have its greatest impact.

Even so, many Latinos receiving government services--whether prenatal care or a college education--on Wednesday revealed a dispirited resignation to the prospect that life would very likely become more difficult. Even those living in the United States legally fear that the passage of the initiative will encourage bigotry.

“First they will target illegal immigrants. Then they will target us--the ones who look like we are immigrants,” said Senia Calderon, 19, of San Fernando, a single mother and legal resident who receives welfare for her 1-year-old son.

Others, such as Ruben Reyes, a legal resident who was awaiting immunization shots for his 11-month-old son at the Pacoima Health Center, predicted that little will change for illegal immigrants until authorities begin enforcement of Proposition 187.

“When they see some kind of action, that’s when people are going to stay away,” he said.

Robert L. Scott, speaking for the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, said he and the majority of members celebrated passage of the initiative but oppose the expected use of public funds to challenge the law in court. He said he believes student protests were prompted by teachers and school officials opposed to the initiative.

“Adults were influencing the kids to do this,” he said.

Student leaders in the Valley, meanwhile, spent the day assessing their tactics, wondering if they could have done more to defeat the initiative: Should they have just stayed in class? Waved American instead of Mexican flags?

“We tried as much as we could but maybe we didn’t make our voices clear,” said Mandy Evans, a 15-year-old Birmingham High School student. “What can we do? We’re not old enough to vote.”

But with a protracted legal fight over Proposition 187 expected, students said that in the not-so-distant future their loud opinions will make a difference.

“Right now we can’t vote but in four years we will be able to vote and we won’t let people like Pete Wilson get in office and we won’t let propositions like 187 pass,” said Marjorie Garcia, a 17-year-old Sylmar High student.

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The short but spirited student campaign to defeat Proposition 187 was for Marjorie and thousands of other Latino students a landmark political event. If they grow up to be the political force that demographers predict, they could make good on the threat against Republicans and others who supported the initiative, political experts and educators said.

San Fernando High School Principal Philip R. Saldivar said despite criticism, the protests motivated his student body. “I want to keep their political interests going. These are our next voters,” he said.

Said Aaron Diyarza, 17, a San Fernando High student: “One thing we learned . . . is that voting is important.”

Others expressed the disappointment more typical of youth. “I was hoping it would make a difference, change people’s minds,” said Hector Estrada, 18, who joined the walkout last week at San Fernando High School. “It didn’t really do much.”

Only three Los Angeles city schools reported walkouts Wednesday--Venice High School, Hamilton High in West Los Angeles and Olive Vista Middle School in Sylmar.

At Cal State Northridge, about 200 mostly Latino students gathered for a noon rally, carrying a black coffin and posters with messages such as “What am I, Citizen or Suspect.” CSUN student sophomore Vladimir Cerna, an illegal immigrant and an elected student body officer, said passage of the initiative marks “open season” on the undocumented.

“Hopefully, it will be stopped in the courts,” he said. “But even so, the atmosphere is there. If you assume someone is illegal, you can say or do anything you want to them.”

As evidence, he cited vandals who painted “wetbacks out” and “illegals out” on the school’s Chicano House the day before the election.

At the East Valley welfare office in Panorama City, several single mothers--both legal and illegal residents--said they were not concerned about the immediate consequences of the proposition because of expected legal challenges.

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Besides, they said, state law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving most forms of public aid, such as Medi-Cal and Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Their U.S.-born children are eligible for benefits even if they are not.

But the women said they feared passage of the measure would open the door to discrimination because of their accents and appearance.

Carmen Martinez, 33, said her five children are frightened that they will get into trouble at school because they speak Spanish and have brown skin. “I have told them not to be afraid because they were born here,” said Martinez, a Mexican native and legal resident of North Hollywood.

Welfare workers were ordered not to comment. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, Carol Matsui, said the department was conducting “business as usual” until it receives instructions from the state Department of Social Services.

There was little evidence of the new law at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and other county medical facilities in the Valley, despite a requirement that doctors and nurses report to authorities patients suspected of being illegal immigrants.

County health officials said they were instructed by county Chief Administrative Officer Sally Reed not to begin checking patients’ immigration status until the county receives guidelines from state and federal officials.

Some illegal immigrants awaiting care said even if Proposition 187 is enforced, they would have no choice but to seek needed care, regardless of the risks. They also expressed anger at supporters of the anti-immigrant measure.

Margarita Castro, 26, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was seeking care for her infant daughter at the Pacoima health clinic, said she was angry over voters seeking to punish immigrants even though “We’ve been giving a lot by working more for less.”

Teresa Lopez, another illegal immigrant from Mexico, said she was not worried that staff members at Olive View hospital--where she gave birth to a girl Monday--might turn her in.

“If they deport me, I’ll be back,” said Lopez, 22, in Spanish. “In their hearts, someday they’re going to pay for what they’re doing.”

Times staff writers Leslie Berger, John Chandler, Jack Cheevers, Abigail Goldman, Jocelyn Y. Stewart and special correspondent Maki Becker contributed to this story.