We didn't see much of the immigrant-hating Governor Brewer at the RNC and it seems, with good reason:
“Voters generally aren’t thrilled with Jan Brewer’s job performance, but they don’t dislike her enough to recall her,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
I am lucky to live in a state that has tried to differentiate itself from Arizona's racist policies. For example, the legislature just passed a bill to allow some undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license. Now a new bill, The TRUST ACT, is sitting on Governor Jerry Brown's desk. It would prevent illegal immigrants from being detained and possibly deported for relatively minor legal entanglements such as traffic infractions and misdemeanors. Under the bill, arrestees who have previous convictions for a serious or violent felony will still be detained.
The measure’s sponsor, San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, is quoted in a New York Times editorial and puts it this way: “We want police to distinguish between the woman selling tamales and the gang member who has a record.”
That draws a pretty clear line for Gov. Brown as he ponders whether to approve or veto the Act. If he waves it through, he will not only be doing the right thing, he will reap political rewards from the state's growing Latino electorate. If he opts for a veto, he will conversely be sowing seeds of distrust among Latinos and a sense of betrayal from immigrant rights organizations. That's what one expects from Brewer, not Brown.
