Abel Authored Special Benefits For Ilegal Aliens, Blames Opponent!
Poor Abel Maldonado. Looks like he is going to lose next Tuesday in his race for the GOP nomination for State Controller. You can always tell a loser in an election. A week out, when the reality sets in that they are going to lose, they either slow down and slide into the election, or decide to make whatever charges they feel they need to get attention and claim their opponent is bad. A winning campaign is one where in the last week, the candidate goes positive, showing why they are the best person for the race. Abel has gone silly negative. Silly because he is charging his opponent, former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, with supporting a terrible concept that was actually AUTHORED BY ABEL HIMSELF. Strickland voted AGAINST this bill.
The Facts: In 2001 Maldonado authored AB 540, this bill mandated in-state tuition for illegal aliens. In others words, citizens from Texas coming into California must pay full freight, while illegal aliens, folks that violate our immigration laws, get the cheapest rate. Abel Maldonado’s bill discriminated against citizens while giving special benefits to illegal aliens. Strickland voted against this offensive bill presented by Abel.
Fact: Strickland voted for AB 1197, in 2000, that allowed students who could prove they are here LEGALLY or are in the process of applying for legal status, to get the lower tuition.
Fact: This year Maldonado presented a bill that would raise the minimum wage, giving more reason for folks to hire illegal aliens for lower wages and in cash.
Fact: When Abel saw that his bill would not pass the legislature–he did not even have any GOP legislators support–he decided to take the measure to a politically APPOINTED commission instead of allowing elected officials to hold hearings and vote on the matter.
Fact: Abel had leased his own farm land to folks that exploited illegal aliens and paid them under minimum wage. He has NOT denied that he profited from this exploitation. The Democrats are going to use this against Abel in every future race he runs.
Fact: Abel Maldonado claims support of the “California Republican Taxpayers Association”. This NOT an approved organization of the California Republican party. In fact, this is an organization that has apparently not existed till Abel’s campaign claimed its endorsement. I have been involved in California politics for 46 years. I have worked to get candidates endorsements for many of those years. This is one group I had never heard of before–was it made up just to endorse one candidate? Has anybody reading this ever heard of this group before? Has anybody gone to one of its meetings? Have you seen a booth from the group at a CRP convention? When I “Googled” this organization I found only ONE reference to it; on Abels’ campaign web site as an endorser–even Google has no independent record of it.
Fact: 26 members of the GOP legislature endorsed Tony Strickland. Only 9 have endorsed Abel–that should tell you something.
Fact: Folks like Jim Brulte, Tom McClintock, Dana Rohrabacher and Buck McKeon have endorsed Strickland. Groups like the California Republican Assembly, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the YRFC and the National Tax Limitation Committee have endorsed Strickland.
It was my intention NOT to write about this race in the last week. But the hypocrisy of Maldonado, trying to put aid to illegal aliens on the back of Tony, when it was really a bill by Abel to give special benefits to illegal aliens, that commanded a response.
DISCLOSURE: Due to the material above and the fact that Tony Strickland has been a solid vote for fiscal responsibility, I have endorsed Tony Strickland for State Controller.
I urge bloggers and others to distribute this article, so voters can see the tactics used by some candidates to win.
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Steve Frank is the publisher of California Political News and Views and a Senior Contributor to CaliforniaConservative.org. He is also a consultant currently working on gambling issues and advising other consultants on policy and coalition building.
Read more of his work here or at his blog.
Technorati Tags: Abel Maldonado, AB 540, California, Immigration