California State Senator Calls For AZ Boycott

[Ayatollahgondola]

Had to happen.

I think we should get very active and very vocal about this

Steinberg Sends Letter to Governor Urging California to Sever Economic Ties with Arizona
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) today sent a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger proposing that California do everything legally possible to sever its economic ties with the State of Arizona until that state's newly enacted racial profiling law is repealed.

Specifically, Steinberg requested that the Governor provide information about "all existing and proposed contracts between the state of California and any businesses or governments in Arizona" so that it can be determined "whether we can legally break any of our existing contracts, and also ensure that no new contracts are negotiated until Arizona's law is effectively repealed."


The text of the letter is below:

April 27, 2010

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

I am sure you are aware that the state of Arizona recently enacted legislation that attempts to legalize racial profiling by requiring law enforcement to try to determine the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. I have serious doubts that Arizona’s new law is constitutional, but it could take months or years for a final resolution of this question in the courts.

As a border state, the impact of the Arizona law will surely have reverberations in California. And given the threat the Arizona law poses to public safety and individual freedoms, I believe we can’t afford to wait for the courts to resolve the legal questions it presents. I think we have a moral obligation to deliver an unequivocal message to lawmakers in Arizona that California does not condone its conduct.

The regulation of immigration is exclusively the province of the federal government, and the Arizona law threatens to undermine basic civil liberties guaranteed to all Americans – regardless of immigration status. By effectively authorizing law enforcement to arrest and interrogate anybody they believe looks “different,” no person in Arizona can feel assured that they will be able to live their lives freely.

The Arizona law is as unconscionable as it is unconstitutional, and the state of California should not be using taxpayer dollars to support such a policy. For that reason, I respectfully request that you provide me with information about all existing and proposed contracts between the state of California and any businesses or governments in Arizona. I would like for our respective legal staffs to work together to determine whether we can legally break any of our existing contracts, and also ensure that no new contracts are negotiated until Arizona’s law is effectively repealed.

Sincerely,

DARRELL STEINBERG
President pro Tempore of the Senate
Sixth Senate District