Firefighters are on site from a number of Western states and across California some expect to be here for another 2 weeks until the fires die down do a holy site count tally n.p.r. News in Ventura County you noted Auto Workers president Jerry Jones is stepping aside as a federal investigation into union corruption appears to be inching closer to its top officials Michigan Radio's Sarah Swick has more the u.a.w. Says Jones requested a paid leave of absence which its executive board approved Jones has not been charged with a crime but he's been tied to a string of indictments and convictions among union leaders for embezzling funds in a statement Jones said he did not want to do anything to distract from the u.a.w. Is mission joins us departure comes at a critical time for the u.a.w. The union just ended a 6 week strike against General Motors and this week its leaders reached a new tentative labor agreement with Ford u.a.w. Vice president were a gamble will take over as interim union president for n.p.r. News I'm Sarah Swick in Detroit and you're listening to n.p.r. News from Washington in northern Syria a car bomb went off in the town of Halabja killing at least 13 people to his defense ministry says nearly 2 dozen others were injured in that town that was captured last month by Turkish backed opposition gunman the ministry blames Syrian Kurds fires for the attack but there's no immediate claim of responsibility last month Shirky invaded northeastern Syria to push out Syrian Kurdish fighters who consider it terrorists for their links to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Daylight saving time is coming to an end this weekend for much of the country that's except for Hawaii most of Arizona also Guam clocks are to be set back by one hour tonight but as N.P.R.'s Amy Held reports there are growing calls for the time change to be ended like clockwork as time ticks down to the bi annual change and unchanged chorus of objections strikes up and it's getting louder a new Associated Press poll finds 7 in 10 Americans don't want to switch back and forth the majority of state legislatures have taken up the issue and several have voted to make daylight saving time permanent hold up they need congressional approval 1st Florida has introduced the sunshine Protection Act at the federal level and President Trump has treated his support but passage is far from eminent Massachusetts lawmakers are looking at a workaround requiring no congressional vote they would move to and stay on Atlantis standard time but only if other New England states sign on to Amy Held n.p.r. News and I'm getting Herbst n.p.r. News in Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the estate of Joan Kroc whose bequest serves as an enduring investments in the future of public radio and the John d. And Catherine team MacArthur Foundation Ed Mack founded dot org. Welcome to Latino USA I might be a new horse and today we have something very special for you a reporting collaboration between what do you USA and the Los Angeles Times are episode is called The Battle of one $87.00 and without sane anymore I'm going to turn it over for the whole episode to l.a. Times reporter and longtime friend of Latino USA. Don't. Take it away. Some people call them illegal immigrants others use the words undocumented aliens Americans have all sorts of names nice and not for the 11000000 or so people in the United States who are not legal residents I have a different name for them. Friends family people I grew up with. And my dad may be in there and. They will come in and they have to respect sort of that's him Lawrence White again he's telling me about the 1st time he crossed the border in 1968 to come to the u.s. Jammed in the trunk of a Chevy So being a so-called illegal immigrant was never a big deal to me in fact I don't even know people hated them until I was soft more in high school when something happened that I'll never forget. It's October 1904 I'm 15 years old outside and I'm high school go colonists and the school day is done so I'm walking home and out of nowhere some white boys yell at me from a truck. At 1st I don't know what they're saying then I make it out they're shouting 187187 and I looked at them and I'm like. Like I just didn't understand what they meant so I walk home I turn on the news. And there I see protesters again something called Proposition 187. Page a group in Santa Ana has collected 600000 signatures in favor of an initiative that would bar undocumented children from public schools and it turns out that this thing targets people like my dad its authors say illegal immigration is destroying California about the only thing both sides agree on is that if the initiative called Prop $187.00 passes it would have far reaching effects in California. And could influence the national debate over immigration. I think about those white people he's the 187 yellers Anaheim high they don't know if I have papers or not but they don't care they're obviously yelling at me because I'm a Mexican and for them that's no different than being at war and quote illegal. To understand why this story matters you have to take a look around the California of today. The state is a beacon for progressive politics in the us a land of environmentalism and multiculturalism we're vegans and Prius's Rome and taco trucks stand on every corner. And and it's the center of the hash tag resistance to President Trump and his policies the Trump administration and California are swearing off again California is vowing to take the administration to court after the trumpet ministration announced that the 2020 census will include a question about citizenship the state of California an ounce that would suit to challenge that decision. Democrats controlled both chambers of the state capitol with supermajority they hold all offices of California's executive branch but it wasn't always this way California was once something of a red state or at least a purple one it gave the u.s. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan in 1904 California also gave us Proposition $187.00 it was one of the harshest laws targeting immigrants in modern u.s. History and that same year the state gave us this and they keep coming $2000000.00 illegals in California the federal government won't stop them at the border yet requires us to pay billions to take care of it was a campaign spot for Governor Pete Wilson a Republican running for reelection that want to be scary voice plays over grainy footage of people spreading across the Us Mexico border like it was some 5 k. Run. And then the ad ends with this really hopeful and jealous music as Pete Wilson promises to crack down on quote unquote them I'm suing to force the federal government to control the border enough is enough. 'd 'd yet 25 years later Proposition 187 and Pete Wilson made the Golden State bluer than Indigo. 'd you're probably saying wake up now but that's what this episode is all about about the time in 1904 that California Republicans went to war against illegal immigration and lost. And how the legacy of those battles from 25 years ago influences America even today 'd because before President Trump there was Proposition 187 illegal immigration is going to stop it's dangerous it's terrible. That we don't and if we don't add order we don't have a country remember that READY. Now let's begin our story. We're in fall 1903 Dr Dre and Ice Cube are bump in on the radio in Southern California the whole state is still reeling from Rodney King and the l.a. Riots national pundits say the California dream is over and in the pretty suburban town of your bill and Orange County proposition when the 7 is about to be born. Your bill and is next in country literally he was born here big suburban tract homes that owners try to pass off as if they're an old Mexico with a tiled roof and street names in Spanish not many Mexicans around here though just saying. Yes this Ariana. Barber and Bob Kiley live here in a 2 story home with 1910 carpet and fluffy couches. They're out of the game now but for years they manage local Republican campaigns as political consultants I'm visiting barber and Bob because they ran the 187 campaign you could say they're 187 the likely grandparents unlikely because we actually did not see illegal immigration is a big problem for us we were the nice community we didn't see it but we did have a friend by the name Iran prints Enron was really working to get involved Ron Prince plays a big part in our story lanky with bushy eyebrows and a comb. Over he was a gadfly local Republican politics he wanted to do a statewide proposition on anything in California anyone who gets enough Elad signatures around 400000 of them at that time can place a proposition on the ballot about anything so Ron Prince according to Barbara wanted to think of an idea that might actually have a chance of passing and they'd tell him Go find an issue people really care about and the doorbell on Saturday morning he said I think I have one I just got ripped off by an illegal alien and he was supposed to be a contractor and he ripped me off so here's what happened Ron said a contractor he was working with ripped him off for half a $1000000.00 according to Ron The guy was an illegal Canadian later on reports which tracked down the contractor and it would turn out he was a legal resident anyways run things illegal immigration that's a winner and he goes out with his legal pad to a grocery store up the block from the collie's home and asked people a simple question. Do you believe illegal immigration is a problem in California. He comes back with pages of signatures. On that 1st time and the 1st time. We're going to come back to run prince in the Kylie's of a 2nd. But 1st a little history. It's easy to forget the fear of newcomers is as California trained as earthquakes and in an El double double cheeseburgers politicians have passed laws against nearly every new group to arrive here Chinese Japanese Jews African Americans chill lands I mean who doesn't like. Even Ok. But in the late 20th century California's demographics are changing fast. By 990 the number of white residents did to less than 60 percent of the state's population while the number of Latinos grew to 25 percent. More immigrants legal in California than ever before there was this madness that's Peter new news who used to be the u.s. Attorney for the San Diego area there he got a close up of the California Mexico border he had what they called charges were before sunset literally thousands of people were lined up on the south side of the border if you will today news is the chairman of the board for the Center for Immigration Studies a controversial think tank that wants to reduce immigration to the u.s. And as soon as the sun would go down basically they all started north and you had you know maybe 50 Border Patrolmen who knocks 100 say 100 people selling tacos and bottled water like a big party like a big party waiting for the sun. All immigration is increasing in California Economic anxiety is also on the rise the cold war is ending causing the state to lose tens of thousands of middle class jobs and the defense industry a big part of the golden state economy the state suffers from an epic drought a nation wide recession compounds everything by $991.00 in just the 2nd year in office Governor Pete Wilson faces a 12 and a half $1000000000.00 budget shortfall and he quickly put some of the blame on undocumented immigrants California legislators start proposing bills against that and here comes Ron Prince with his cowboy boots and his clipboard a guy from boring Tustin California with payback on his mug so Ron goes to his friends the Kylie's there are your bill and the political consultants with this big idea to try to pass something against immigrants 1st of all we didn't even know there were anti illegal immigration groups out there we've never gone to a meeting we never got a letter that we didn't even know they existed but the Kiley say what the hell and they sign on to help Ron with his cause they see it as a game a puzzle to figure out so the experiment was could you collect enough signatures for and pass a graph. Roots proposition with no big money behind it just simply enough there are enough people involved and angry about a situation 1st things 1st they need to assemble a committee of people to write it all we just went Ok well who do you know. They look around to begin to put together a kind of ragtag Avengers depending on who you're rooting for of California and Tamer Gratian hawks they start with Harold as used to work for the Ins the Immigration and Naturalization Service what we're saying is anybody that is that here legally should not be rewarded for coming illegally before working for the Ins Herald or out for short was an executive at Wienerschnitzel a hot dog fast food chain has a reputation as a loud mouth with a singular obsession stop illegal immigration in reference to undocumented immigrants he once told Time magazine if you catch them you want to clean them and prime yourself callid actually knew everybody who was involved and anti illegal immigration movement through how the Kylie's hooked up with Alan else Alan was House former boss at the Ins the illegal alien without any checking and they often bring the diseases almost a day just as you are being brought in by the illegals they also connect with a woman named Barbara she's a former crime analyst for the Anaheim Police Department and a petite chain smoker who wears granny glasses more people eventually join but this is the core of the pro $187.00 crew They're an odd mix of former immigration officials and middle aged suburbanite. So. We started to have meetings with their vendors assembled at a private member's only club and close to Mesa they start to work on writing the actual proposition it's October 5th 1903 what they put together is an all out assault on undocumented immigrants there's 8 sections of $187.00 soldiers some. The lowlights block undocumented immigrants from social services and public health care forced workers in those sectors to report anyone they suspected of having no papers to the ins but the group saves the worst for last kids without papers would no longer be able to attend public schools from kindergarten to college the Kylie's and their crew know that this last provision is extreme and probably unconstitutional but they put it in anyway so it would gather the media attention so it would send up the red flags that everybody wanted to talk about it never thought he would have an opinion about it. And that's when it really took. 127 has written the Kylie send it to the Republican mailing list to see if they can get enough signatures for it to qualify for the November 1904 ballot. Every day they're p.o. Box is full full of signatures pledging support for the proposition. 187 says nothing about any ethnic groups it didn't have to why do you think they should resonated so much with people because all of a sudden I think in certain areas of Santa Ana in l.a. And there there was a huge influx of Latino people and I think a lot of. White people like I am or felt threatened. Anyway by June 23rd 1904 princes crusade qualifies for the November ballot it will go by Proposition 187 by coincidence the same number that California's penal code assigns to murder the group decides to try to get support for their anti immigrant measure by using a new tagline save our state. Who thought of the idea to call this a save our state initiative about 4 Marguerite is at. El Cerrito. El Cerrito is a Mexican restaurant chain in Orange County now I'm not sure that the collies and their crew purposely ate Mexican food on the day the razor Margarita glasses and toasted to an attack on undocumented people but they probably imagined they were on the right side of history when they named their campaign save our state s o s for short the logo of their campaign was an innertube they imagined they were throwing out to a drowning California. What the group didn't know in that moment was that Latinos were going to take one of the 7 fly leaf. That's coming up on the bill u.s.a. Stay with us also buy a. The support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations and from the Carnegie Corporation of New York supporting innovations in education democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security more information is available online at Carnegie that org And Americans for the Arts committed to transforming America's communities through the arts and arts education supporting the nonprofit arts industry which employs 4600000 people nationwide learn more at Americans for the Arts dot org. Welcome back to Latino USA I'm glad. The issue of immigration is setting the tone for a political debate in California on a broader initiative is likely to be on the November ballot that would deny public education and public health benefits to illegal immigrants it's June of 1904 m. Prop one of the 7. As qualified for the vendor ballot. As 16 years old a student went to high school he arrived in Southern California from making go without papers when he was just 2 years old and he'd always try to its best to fit in growing up be Mexican was a bad thing so we don't want to death I would be any kind of Mexican and so we want to be as American as we could be we don't want to bring beings and rice as we want to bring bologna sandwiches because all the messaging from our teachers was being Mexican was bad and out of there was more interested in just being a teen than in politics or activism but in the summer of 94 at age 16 he goes to a summer leadership camp for Latino students and one of the 7 is on the agenda they talk to us about this initiative to save our state initiative save our city from what for me. I'm a threat to you like. This and I'm going to go to school and try to better myself like how my the threat. Comes home from the Leadership Conference feeling like he has found a colleague just a few weeks later he drives to Fresno State with friends to join hundreds of students in a crash course on how to fight when 87 years material here's how you talk about it when people ask you about it here's what you say literally we have to play. Well head out of the news new squader brain storming ways to stop save our state the 187 committee in Orange County is finding its little experiment has beat front page news political consultant Barbara Kiley remembers coming up with talking points we all had what we were supposed to say we stuck to script and what was that script do not get into a race war with anybody you're debating this is not about race this is about Wallace but as much as they try to stay away from race the general public was clearly getting riled up about California's changing demographics check out this guy and N.P.R.'s. Morning Edition in 1904 assignment they all resident named John Richardson My neighborhood has gone from a pretty nice place to live where you wouldn't want to drive down in the morning I mean if you even drive down or would a vehicle you have 20 to 30 guys that will literally bum rush your car if you stop and not they sit out there and drink most of the time if they don't get picked they've cost criminal elements to come in such as. Drug dealers right now if I was to move to my neighborhood today I wouldn't buy the place I turn around and walk out that's why for many Latinos it's became obvious that $187.00 was not about citizenship it was about them. So thank you for meeting me here that's right. And in 1904 Gloria Molina is an l.a. County supervisor one of the most powerful Latinos in the state and a daughter of a Mexican American father and a Mexican immigrant mother many people said McCloy a citizen you should worry about this at all it was about me it was about people like me I was the one that was going to be asked just because of who I was Gloria feels a personal and civic responsibility to oppose 187 and thinks it'll be easy to stop so she forms a no on 187 committee in Los Angeles there were many of us and very frankly the 1st thing we need to do is to raise money. It was very very difficult task Gloria starts to reach out to the usual suspects she contacts when fundraising for a campaign and she's surprised to learn normally reliable Democratic donors and politicians are skittish when it comes to 187 people were embarrassed that they weren't getting They knew the social justice issue but at the same time they didn't want their name associated people were intimidated that's how popular won 87 was any Democrat who went against it was drinking political poison one of them was Dianne Feinstein she's in her 1st term senator in 19041 of the most powerful people in California in October 1904 Feinstein is locked in a tight reelection race despite the pleas of activists she doesn't publicly oppose 107 until 3 weeks before the election by the way Feinstein declined to be interviewed for this. Though her staffer sent me a statement saying she remains at the forefront of immigrant rights today. Gloria Molina was upset at Feinstein for waiting until the last minute to oppose 187 I have done forgiven or to this day because she was in a leadership role but when she was a bit intimidated she took a position against us what would you tell her did or did you meet with her or doctor at all during the war and decided never to meet with her. In a while a certain Republican governor is realizing one of the 7 could be his ticket to reelection for most of his career Pete Wilson was actually not stereotype at all for being a hard right immigrant bashing type of guy here's journalist beyond my handle he was just a normal middle of the road Republican. But then when he started running in 2nd term that's when things changed. In 1901 Wilson releases a report that claims immigrants and their American born children will help push California into a 20000000000 dollar deficit in the next decade illegal immigration suddenly becomes his speaking at. California's governor Pete Wilson called the state's immigrant in poor population tax receivers who take more than they give recommended denying education and health care to illegal immigrants the problem is real the public knows it and they don't give a damn whether it's an election year they want relief. In 1904 Wilson's Democratic challenger is Kathleen Brown early polls have Wilson trailing Brown badly by more than 20 points he needs a boost so a month before 187 qualifies for the ballot he runs this commercial they keep coming 2000000 illegals in California the federal government won't stop them at the border let me hit pause here so while that voice is saying they keep coming then midges lots of people presumably Mexican immigrants running across a border in the middle of a freeway Ok let's hit play again the federal government won't stop them at the border yet requires us to pay billions to take care of them Wilson Center National Guard to help the Border Patrol but that's not all I'm suing to force the federal government to control the border I personally have never forgotten this set and a lot of Californians haven't either it's just ugly but the production and message shadowy hordes swarming the Us Mexico border like the Orcs or something trying to storm a castle Lord Of The Rings the ad draws national attention criticism and discussed including from 2 people you might not expect Barbara and Bob Kiley from the 187 campaign I don't think it did our group any good or our cause yeah because now all of a sudden it's tied specifically to this idea. An invasion knowing that it's racist as a race against white it was racist. But that message they keep coming saves Pete Wilson although he wouldn't officially endorse 187 until September becomes inseparable from that Wilson is 187 for better or worse. Fast forward to October 1904 Election Day is right around the corner things are looking good for 187 Pete Wilson now has a slight edge over Kathleen Brown and Latino activists are getting nervous they feel Democrats aren't doing enough. In Los Angeles Kevin Dylan is teaching English as a 2nd Language he's a son of Guatemalan immigrants and takes $187.00 personally he another Latino activists decide to strike back with the only weapon they have we decided that we wanted to organize a March Yeah they're taking it to the streets the protest is set for Sunday October 16th the plan is to get those affected by one of the 7 undocumented immigrants and their friends and family out in force. The March starts in the morning near evergreen cemetery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of l.a. It's sunny not too hot. I remember feeling both excited and incredibly nervous there's about a 1000 people here much less and they hope would come out everyone begins to March down what's now such as Avenue which connects East l.a. To the Russell Los Angeles but as a group approaches the 10 Freeway. We could see you just see people. On balance drop to the ground. Because the people can be there just. In the end roughly $70000.00 people come out marching from East l.a. To city. In the protest was a cross-section of Angelenos from 5th generation she got her students to day laborers who recently cross the border they join with Asians and African-Americans in what's being called the largest demonstration in l.a. It's the street clothes that did not. Get out of the kora the high school student we heard from earlier is here with his mom it's the 1st protest they've ever been to a member after that one. And we're talking about issues like me like I had no idea like I had no idea what this was about and and how many people were going to be affected she's like but today was really something and I remember that she's like you know this is something but in press clippings and news footage from that day something stands out to me the signs saying This used to be Mexico the red white and green banners and all the Mexican flags we were horrified Here's Gloria Molina then in l.a. County supervisor I mean it was a huge turnout and they carried Mexican flags it killed us it was a workable dish really was a horrible visual because according to Gloria on the fence voters would interpret the flags as a Mexican invasion come to life Cheers had out of the corner I think it was a recognition that look this is us despite whoever we want to Jennifer I is however we want to see ourselves or Mexican you know that's how the world sees us and you know we can put on a Dodger hat and try to you know sings Spangled Banner but the reality is we're Mexican and they're going to come after us. Oh that Mexican flag I defended young people waving it during protests many times over the years and yet they still do it and both conservatives and older liberals still get enraged when I get it it's like you're not going to a set me as an American I might as well take you off as a Mexican anyway back to October 16th 1900 for an hour's drive south of downtown l.a. In Orange County the 187 committee loves all those Mexican flags again here at the Kylie's boy are they for have just said just the opposite of what they should be doing just that I've been in campaigns for 20 years and I mean that was just a godsend for them start doing what we knew was going to happen after that. Because the press is going to pick up on that. The press picks up on that it's going to be every newspaper every radio station can be every t.v. Station and it's what happened is like it was a gift thank you very much I don't have to do anymore it's over. Years from friends from a news report from the time the guy who started the $187.00 campaign with the Kylie's l.a. Times poll is showing the vast majority of the people get California and also at Los Angeles are supporting Proposition 187. So far as we're concerned we don't need to get out at the street to March for anything even if we were required to do. On election night 1904 the Kylie's are at the Orange County g.o.p. Party they have the largest suite in the hotel total dollars. 187 still leads in the polls. Here's Bob. Take anything for granted everything could be a slam dunk till the day election only counts when that ballot asked. County by county the results come in. In California and the anti immigrant measure known as Proposition 187 was approved by over 2 thirds of that state's voters despite overwhelming opposition by Latinos Proposition 187 is the law of the land Californians easily approved the initiative known as Proposition 187. Dianne Feinstein barely wins for Senate race Pete Wilson easily wins his reelection campaign. A $187.00 wins even bigger even though almost 80 percent of Latinos voted against it. Here's have out of the corner you know after I read and I'm like no there's no way this is crazy like why would this pass and now I'm like they would do this stuff here Gloria Molina can't believe when 87 passes by as much as it did 59 to 41 percent that was the worst part for me it's always say you know it's barely going to squeak through it may squeak through but it's barely Now it was a huge margin what did that tell you that the margin was so big Well it tells me about how people felt about us. In Orange County the 187 committee feel something else. Vindication that despite being vilified as racists and nativists they want. You I said what we have to do is make sure we all walk in they go there because we're this is the team they walk into the victory party like the New England Patriots Ron Prince Alan will. Barbara called Harold the zone Bob and Barbara Kiley and the rest of the committee we were overwhelmed you know Newsweek and Time magazine Ok. And because Governor Wilson attached his campaign so firmly to one of the 7 it's now his own there's even talk about Pete Wilson for president there is in this room or on the stage in this audience Californians of every race every color every create that what they have in common is an understanding that it is not fair to short change the education of our own children or the health care. In that moment triumphant on the stage Wilson is probably feeling good. But if he could see into the future he might have felt differently because years later 187 in Wilson would be synonymous not with victory but with defeat. That's coming up on Latino USA Stay with us. Support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations and from the George Lucas Educational Foundation creator of Edutopia and online resources dedicated to improving the learning experience for America's students with information and strategies about what works in k. Through 12 education learn more as you topia dot org And the state of Joan b. Kroc whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help n.p.r. Produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression. Welcome back to Latino USA. Leaders of the prop 7 move says. Seek help in setting up similar campaigns in New York Florida Texas Illinois even Iowa. Remember Latino voters overwhelmingly reject what 87 many see as a next essential threat and are terrified that their lives are going to get difficult fast that media is going to come knocking on their doors or show up in school and ask for papers. So just a day after the election before any parts of one of the 7 can go into effect federal and state lawsuits are filed 8 in total claiming that the proposition is unconstitutional portions of Prop 187 were to go into effect immediately but court orders were issued today holding off a new law until its constitutionality can be examined the move works the court freezes when 87 most of it won't go into effect until the lawsuit is heard which is a big relief for immigrants. Among the plaintiffs the a.c.l.u. And the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund or mauled Laurie Molina serves on the l.a. County Board of Supervisors we heard from her earlier and she tried to convince the county to join the suit after that you start getting a lot of hate mail like yes I get and I just had to put up with it people came to the board attacked me letters that I would get. People attacked or she's not getting she becomes a target of pure venom Here's a letter she gets from someone in Long Beach. If you're protesting Macs are so great how do you go to Mexico and build your own country or divisive once you don't assimilate into u.s. Society you want your divisive language or divisive politics and on and on and on and on the place for what you want is Mexico. One of the 7 hits a national nerve from coast to coast people want to rail against immigration period . Take these collars on N.P.R.'s Talk of the nation. But it is. Really nothing of the you can call it I mean. Anything about a criminal. Illegal or whatever to me is a bunch of. I don't believe it one bit I am for that. California 187 is the 1st in a string of propositions that target people of color through the ninety's in 1904 voters also passed the infamous 3 strikes initiative which lands hard on blacks and Latinos 2 years later been a formative action in 1980. $187.00 itself tied up in the courts for years in 1970 a federal judge finds it unconstitutional. By one of the 7 but then Attorney Jenner . Dan Lungren a Republican. Decision to try to keep it alive. Peter Newman is one of the architects of 187 that we heard from earlier he thinks mongering isn't fighting hard enough for 187 and just a warning here he describes Lungren with pretty sexist language I am convinced. Didn't like it and let it die why do you think longer and held back it was a push. Maybe political ambitions and he didn't want to piss. In the Latino population. Has denied those accusations 187 finally dies for good in 1909 when Pete Wilson successor Gray Davis drops the appeal in the end the big parts of it never go into effect started with a bang ended with a whimper but Latinos from California like me never forgot it. For many Latinos living in California today Pete Wilson is a weird mix of a monster in a joke the guy who declared war on us I've seen miracles that depict Wilson as a snake or. My friends photo bomb him and laugh about it on Facebook and a lot of activists still call him Wilson little peanuts Wilson. Even to punch a coup or get into the Wilson game and his song to live and die in l.a. . Brown. So this is the part of the episode where I'm supposed to share my Pete Wilson interview with you. Well I was going to pepper him with questions that have bugged me forever like who created that crazy think he coming at well after 2 months of Wilson's people saying the former California governor wanted to do an interview with me it didn't happen is people did finally give me a date but it wasn't in time for this broadcast if the interview happens release it later on one question I wasn't going to ask to speak regrets supporting 187 interview after interview he's done over the years Wilson's answer is nope Here he is on case here in 2013 he think Prop 187 was a mistake no I don't think it was a mistake I think what it was is an understandable reaction of 60 percent of California voters who voted for it. Whether or not Pete Wilson regrets when 87 a lot of people will tell you that it had a profound effect on California especially Latinos in California. In 1904 and a lot of the day I was a high school student who had a political awakening when when 87 landed on the ballot his entire life yet assumed that he was just like anyone else in California as American as a bald eagle. The night $187.00 passed it out of the realize in the eyes of his white neighbors he'd never be American enough so he vowed to do something about it and for me it really was about going to school like I'm going to college now in the California of 2019 and out of the as an assistant principal at Saddleback high school in sun during our interview I asked him a question I've been thinking about a lot do you think ultimately 1871. Well I think initially one obviously because it passed but no it didn't it last and it lost in so many different aspects which once we look at the look at the health of the Republican Party in California today. Every year that article visits the state capital in Sacramento with the latest class of the chick on a Latino Youth Leadership Project it's a group you belong to when he 1st heard about $187.00. And out of those now president of the nonprofit when I went to the conference in 94 I sat the assembly for and I remember seeing 2 maybe 3 Spanish names. But now I went back and I counted 36 names. So you talk about impact you talk about a change I mean I'm looking at this board of legislators and there it is it's right there. Lauren Molina has a similar take on one of the 7 we became voters we started changing things people like my mother stood there and filled out her application for citizenship and she became a citizen so it changed people's minds immediately and everybody woke up and said it passed what happened it should not pass 187 changed Heaven alone to he's one of the activists we're going to is the big l.a. March in October 1904 the. Politicians could actually share at the fabric of who we are as a great country got me to thinking along with my colleagues maybe one of us should run for office in 2014 Kevin becomes the 1st Latino California Senate president in 130 years my political wakening was Prop 107 there's no question about it. The prevailing narrative is that Wilson's embrace of 187 Do the Republican Party in California forever after but if Pete Wilson a state g.o.p. Met their Waterloo with 187 the proposition didn't suffer the same fate nationally . It inspired dozens of states and cities to craft similar measures on its 1st hearing in early December the custom a city council voted $3.00 to $2.00 to become the 1st city to have its cops enforce immigration law earlier this year the Oklahoma legislature passed what many consider one of the toughest bills in the country aimed at discouraging illegal immigration one of the 7 has also manifested itself in the White House and President Donald Trump's anti immigrant rhetoric sounds a lot like Pete Wilson's of 25 years ago actually the Democratic Party. Of illegal aliens to break our laws violate our borders and overwhelm our day should this result to be just at the border people of flowing through drugs are coming across pouring across a given does their word. What do 180 seven's architects think about all this we don't know what Ron Prince thinks he has no listed address or phone numbers Barbara Kiley said she'd forward my request to Iran for an interview but I never heard back from either of them in any case Barber and her husband will take Trump I don't have to like Trump but I like what he does and we we elected him and Bob and I voted for him we needed a junkyard dog we needed a bill somebody who could repo your car and not even think about it the next day Peter Noone is is also a fan at least when it comes to the president and immigration he sees Trump's election as proof that most Americans want tougher immigration policies policies like 187 mixed news talk about the silent majority. I think they're sound majority still exists and that's why Trump got to like it and immigration was a big part of it for Californians who fought 187 it's deja vu all over again or maybe it's even worse just like Wilson Trump bashed immigrants and one. I said out of the cold air when he thought about that it seems at least right now on the national scale that playbook that will win just like it did in 94 Yeah and I think it will have some momentum and I think he's going to get lots of poor by it but I think time is what's going to hurt them because demographics are changing in the end those of us shaped by 187 believe that Trump just like Wilson shall pass when I covered a 2016 Donald Trump rally in Orange County I signed heard a lot of the hostility from his supporters that I remember from the 187 days hell I was half expecting those white boys from Mannheim high to start yelling at me again but I also saw young Latinos protesting trump while waving Mexican flags this awakening is a just in California either Anthony Wren Dawn is a state's current speaker of the Assembly she sees other states going through the same kind of demographic changes that California went through back in the ninety's I remember I was in there with Carolina. For 5 years a good striving director and even barbecue and the only things that I radio were Spanish language radio stations and Rush Limbaugh and I remembered sic you know what wow this is. So it's got a pop so it's going to happen here right. Something has happened Latinos have organized it many of the places that have attempted to pass laws like $187.00 . Are now. In Arizona the so-called Show me your papers law s.b. 1070 that drew national attention earlier this decade seems to have backfired now Arizona is looking more and more like a purple state. Anthony Randolph the assembly speaker Thanks a lot about all these demographic changes and what they mean for the country. I have a chief of staff who is white and kind of talks a lot about being a Californian and she says you know the white people in the rest of the country are going through what we went through in the ninety's and she said from the perspective of all of a white person I can tell you that things are better now in the food taste better to run on says immigration does change things and having gone through those changes California has some lessons for the rest of the country that on the other end you know we we don't have mass socialism we don't have this incredible drain on public resources and I'm not trying to be funny the food is better. Better than the food in El Cerrito in Orange County that's for sure yeah I'm back to where it all started the Mexican restaurant where the Proposition 187 crew toasted to their cars back in 1903 with 4 rounds of Marguerite's before setting off the battle to change California. El Torito is Ok really it's kind of dated Yes that Miss fear big gargantuan Kamel plates you know this type of restaurant. It's missing a plaque on the wall though I want to put one up that reads on this spot modern day California was born. Today's episode is a collaboration with the Los Angeles Times it was adapted from our 3 episode mini series called The Battle of 187 which you can hear on the Latino USA podcast beat the l.a. Times also has the series on their new cast this is California the battle of 187 was reported and written by a young man and Marlon Bishop it was edited by at the French responsive production help this week from now well be on the top yet and page one so our engineers are stepping in the bow and Julia Crusoe with help this week from Mike had a special things to n.p.r. The loyal American Elf and the Huntington Library for access to their archives if you like the music you heard on this episode stop by let us say dot org And check out our weekly Spotify playlist I'm your host and executive producer but you know for some Join us again for our next episode and in the meantime look for us on all of your social media has been a proxy my show. Lets you know USA is made possible in part by California Endowment building a strong state by improving the health of all Californians the Ford Foundation working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide and the John d. And Catherine team MacArthur Foundation. Support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations and from the Melville charitable trust Jevon by one goal and homelessness for good learn more on line at Melville Trust dot org And on Twitter at Melville trust and the Pew Charitable Trusts working to preserve wilderness restore biodiversity and increase understanding of ocean ecology more information is available at Pew trusts. That. This is n.p.r. This is K.R.'s the 88.7 f.m. Elements in Taos 100.9 f.m. For condone or and 98.7 f.m. Swatch oath on the Internet a k r z a dot org community rating for the around the region. This is your k.r.s. e a Daily weather forecast for Saturday the 2nd of November in the San Luis Valley in South Central Colorado tonight mostly clear lows in Alamosa 14 San Luis 22 so watch 16 and crest on 20 tomorrow sunny highs in Alamosa 53 San Luis 52 so watch 49 in Crystal and 49 in north central New Mexico tonight clear lows and tell us 22 Red River 15 Angelfire 13 and quest 17 tomorrow sunny highs in Tel 62 Red River 48 Angelfire 52 and quest a 55 thanks for listening became Stay tuned for more weather of. Love you'll be leaving with but a scent that Linea I've yet to. Be at the Program of the yellow would mean that you've been to see the border that you begin way in Fresno in Oakland California it program of you know speech about a Santa.