Bill Text: CA AJR2 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Latino Americans and Muslim Americans.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-30 - Referred to Com. on JUD. [AJR2 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AJR2-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Assembly Joint Resolution | No. 2 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Levine (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Eggman, Holden, and Nazarian) (Coauthor: Senator Mendoza) |
December 05, 2016 |
Relative to Latino Americans and Muslim Americans.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 2, as introduced, Levine.
Latino Americans and Muslim Americans.
This measure would commend Latino Americans and Muslim Americans for their economic, political, and cultural impact on California and the United States and respectfully request the President and the President-elect of the United States and Members of the United States Congress to respect the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and to reject efforts to build a wall along the United States-Mexico border, to monitor mosques, to police and profile Muslim Americans, or to adopt any immigration policy based on discrimination.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, In California, 12 million (32 percent) of the 38 million residents are of Mexican descent. California has one of the highest concentrations of Spanish speakers in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Approximately three million Muslim Americans live in the United States, with more than one million in California. As the fastest-growing religion in America, by the year 2050, the number of Muslim Americans is projected to more than double. California has the largest Muslim American community in the United States; and
WHEREAS, If the City of Los Angeles were in Mexico, its five million Mexican residents would make it the second largest city in Mexico. In southern California, between Los Angeles and the Mexican border, 40 percent of the population speaks Spanish. Mexican Americans frequently find it challenging to travel back and forth between Mexico and California, thereby making family visits to Mexico difficult; and
WHEREAS, California and Mexico share more than 130 miles of an international border that is 1,954 miles long. The border region is home to tremendous cultural history and economic commerce between the United States and Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The State of California and California cities have adopted the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the nation recognizing hate crimes, protecting and providing services to immigrants, recognizing the history and value of all cultures, promoting human and civil rights and respect of ethnic and cultural differences, and protecting the freedom of all persons from discrimination and harassment; and
WHEREAS, The State of California is a global partner that contributes to and is advantaged by a thriving global economy. In 2014, California exported $174.1 billion to 229 foreign economies and accounted for 10.7 percent of total United States exports. In 2015, California’s largest export market was Mexico, which purchased $26.8 billion (17.4 percent) of all the states’ exports in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 177,000 California jobs (17 percent of all export-supported jobs in California) are related to the commercial relationship with Mexico. Commerce, tourism, and foreign direct investment from Mexico support more than 200,000 jobs in California (1.5 percent of the total number of payroll jobs in California); and
WHEREAS, Latinos and Muslims in California have come from many different political, racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Latinos and Muslims have come to the United States from more than 80 countries and suffered through poverty, violence, wars, and ethnic and religious persecution, causing them to seek refuge in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Achievements by Latinos and Muslims in California include contributions to all facets of our community. Latino and Muslim Californian’s have contributed to the state’s culture and society through their many achievements in music, food, dance, poetry, literature, architecture, entertainment, sports, and a broad spectrum of artistic expression. Latinos and Muslims in California have challenged the frontiers of social and economic justice, thereby improving the working conditions and lives of countless Californians; and
WHEREAS, Border crossing delays at the United States-Mexico border accounted for an estimated output loss of $3.9 billion and a 30,000 national job loss due to reduced output in 2008. In California, losses were estimated at $3.2 billion and a 25,000 job loss. Research shows that if border delays continue to grow, economic losses will continue to increase significantly by 2017 and could cost the United States economy nearly 54,000 jobs and $12 billion in output annually resulting in an estimated cumulative loss of $86 billion. California’s cumulative economic loss in output due to in-state border delays over the next 10 years is estimated to be $4.5 billion; and
WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump has proposed building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Using precast cement wall panels, it is estimated that it would take four years, 339 million cubic feet of concrete and 5 billion pounds of reinforced steel to build the wall at a cost of approximately $10.6 billion; and
WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump has also proposed “[A] total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” He has also proposed monitoring mosques and policing and profiling Muslim Americans and that a federal commission be established to study immigration policies, including the proposed ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States; and
WHEREAS, To implement his proposed policies of ethnic cleansing, President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will appoint an Attorney General who was refused a judgeship and who has been dogged by allegations of racism throughout his political career, and a senior counsel who supports white nationalism, a movement that opposes multiculturalism and believes in the supremacy of the white race; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature commends Latino Americans and Muslim Americans for their economic, political, and cultural impact on California and the United States. California prides itself on cultural and religious diversity. Latino Americans and Muslim Americans are a vital part of the community and should feel safe and are welcome throughout California and the United States; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully requests the President and the President-elect of the United States and Members of the United States Congress to respect the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which forbids Congress from restricting an individual’s religious practices, and to reject efforts to build a wall along the United States-Mexico border, to monitor mosques, to police and profile Muslim Americans, or to adopt any immigration policy based on discrimination; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and the President-elect of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.
