Joe Guzzardi
August 11, 2003

On August 9th, I filed documents to become one of approximately 150 candidates to replace Gray Davis as Governor of California.

Many have asked me why I am running in the Recall Election. Since I have never held elective office, the question is reasonable and my answer is simple.

Californians need to hear the truth about what has happened to our once golden state. And Californians must elect a governor who is not afraid to make the bold decisions to put our state back on its way to greatness.

Enlightened Californians know exactly what’s wrong. Every day we see evidence of how illegal immigration has changed California. But you would never know about it if you counted on Governor Gray Davis to tell you.

I pledge that when I am the Governor of California, you-- the people-- will hear only the truth. Californians deserve a Governor they can trust. Sadly, since 1999, you have been subjected to deceit and duplicity. Governor Davis has refused to listen to your voice.

But because unchecked illegal immigration is California’s most pressing social issue, an open and honest debate about that “taboo” topic must take place.

Why have so many mainstream politicians been so afraid? Davis is not the only one to run the other way when someone mentions immigration. Here is a partial list of other wimps: Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, defeated gubernatorial candidates Dan Lungren, Richard Riordan and Bill Simon, defeated Senate candidates Matt Fong, Michael Huffington and Tom Campbell.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “Tell the people the truth and the nation will be safe.” Why does the responsibility fall to me to promote honest debate instead to those for whom you have voted? Didn’t they promise to work on your behalf and to make your future better?

Davis has mocked those of us who argue that the U.S. immigration laws should be obeyed. Instead Davis, a graduate of the Columbia University Law School, has promoted illegal immigration. Davis has joined with fifth column lobbying groups who want to push an illegal alien agenda that is destructive to all of California. 

Examine these two statements Davis made about Proposition 187 during his very first months as Governor:

April 15, 1999, "I'm a governor, not a judge. I've taken an oath to uphold all the laws of the state, no matter how much I may disagree with those laws."

April 16, 1999.  "If this (Proposition 187) were a piece of legislation, I would veto it. But it’s not. It’s an initiative, passed by nearly 60 percent of the voters through a process specifically designed to go over the heads of the Legislature and the governor. If officials choose to selectively enforce only the laws they like, our system of justice will not long endure."

Sadly, Davis was not telling the truth. Despite his sanctimonious pledges of fidelity to democracy, Governor Davis had already entered into mediation agreements with most of the major opponents of Proposition 187, and none of its supporters. Davis’ objective was to keep it from reaching the Supreme Court. He was successful with this deceit. 

Davis’ capitulation on Proposition 187 marked the beginning of five long years of abandoning decent, hard-working Californians who object to having their voice stifled. Instead of responding to financial and social consequences of the illegal alien invasion, Davis feeds it. I expanded on this topic in a prior CalNews.com column Pitfalls created by lax immigration policies.

Unfortunately, Davis’ failure to defend Proposition 187 had the predictable consequences for our K-12 school system. Shortly after being elected for his first term, Davis promised to make education his “first, second and third priority.” Now, on the eve of his recall, the high school exit exam---touted as the barometer of California’s projected new education standards--- has been postponed until 2006.

As a teacher, I will tell you that there are only two types of exams possible. One, for students to pass, the test would have to be watered down to junior high school level. Or two, if the test were meaningful, the percentage of failures would be so high that shock waves would reverberate all over California. 

Why do kids fail? Chief among many reasons is that teachers are so absorbed dealing with the 1.5 million non-English speaking students in the California K-12 system that they cannot focus on their main task---teaching. Take if from me as an education insider; the reason your public school kids don’t know anything is because learning isn’t number one on the K-12 agenda. Academics are subordinate to English language development, ethnic awareness and diversity. 

Here’s a side note on education: the cost to school those 1.5 million English Language Learners (to slip momentarily into education jargon) who don’t speak English is about $10 billion. To be sure, because of our nonsensical immigration laws, some of those non-English speakers are U.S. citizens, some are legal immigrants and the rest are illegal aliens. But whether they are legal, illegal or U.S. citizens, the $10 billion you spend to educate them is directly related to immigration. See an earlier CalNews.Com column A rare opportunity

Uncontrolled immigration to California has also brought the health care system to its knees. The California Medical Association white paper titled “California’s Emergency Services—A System in Crisis” showed  that 80 percent of the hospital emergency rooms lost money in fiscal 1999.

More than 9 million patients were treated that year in emergency rooms at an average loss of $46 per visit. Hospitals statewide lost $317 million in their emergency departments. Emergency physicians provided an additional $100 million in uncompensated care. Since the CMA report was issued, conditions have gotten worse.

Add to this millions of dollars in payments for child delivery services and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  for women illegally in California and you begin to understand why the state is sinking in red ink.

I’m asking voters to insist that all of the candidates directly address your concerns about illegal immigration. Demand that they tell you how much longer California can maintain the status quo. Insist on an answer to this specific question: “What is the end game?”

This Recall Election presents you with a real choice. If you want more of the same regarding illegal immigration, then vote for any of the dozens of so-called candidates who refuse to discuss it.

If you want change, vote for me.