Bill Easing Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants Vetoed

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a bill Monday that would have eased a state law requiring immigrants to prove that they are in the United States legally before obtaining a California driver’s license.

Davis said the bill, SB 371, by Sen. Hilda Solis (D-La Puente) would “undermine an important security measure intended to deter fraud and illegal immigration.”

Solis had argued that the bill would be good for the California economy by bolstering trade relations with foreign executives who live in the state temporarily and must drive for business purposes.

She said that their temporary driver’s licenses often expire and that they face long delays to renew them.

In a veto message, Davis said there might be administrative ways to resolve the legal residency issue that would not result in “weakening a key element of Californian’s anti-fraud efforts.”