Has California reached its limit in providing benefits to immigrants living in the country illegally? This comes after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed three bills passed by the liberal Legislature. suggested.

There is no doubt that the state has entered at least an election year hiatus.

Newsom has publicly said he blocked the high-profile measure for legitimate policy reasons. And those reasons were valid.

But it was also good politics for him in the long run, and more directly for California Democratic ally Kamala Harris.

The vice president already carries the heavy baggage of the California left as he runs for the top job. “San Francisco liberals” don’t need to be burdened with additional burdens from their home state.

“Kamala Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Illegals,” was the banner on Donald Trump’s campaign article last week.

Harris is trying to thread the needle by running as a moderate with a focus on attracting Central America while keeping her progressive base intact.

Mr. Trump claims he is responsible for out-of-control illegal immigration, as if the vice president is responsible for everything — and Ms. Harris has promised to tighten border security and limit immigration.

Bob Saladay, Newsom’s chief communications adviser, denied that the governor considered political influence in vetoing the bill.

“The only political calculation is coming from the right wing of this country, which continues to demonize and brutally attack California’s undocumented immigrants,” Saladay said.

But let’s be real. There is no governor with national ambitions who does not constantly assess the political implications of his actions.

The supermajority Democratic Congress passed all three bills by comfortable margins.

The most controversial bill, Assembly Bill 1840 by Rep. Joaquín Arambula (D-Fresno), would require undocumented immigrants to apply for interest-free mortgages of up to $150,000 like other eligible buyers to buy a home for the first time. was to be allowed.

“The person who pays the [taxes] People who participate in this system should be able to benefit like everyone else,” Arambula argued in a parliamentary debate.

Republican Rep. Kate A. Sanchez of Trabuco Canyon countered that the bill “encourages more illegal, not legal, immigration into this state.” This isn’t rocket science. If you give something away for free, more people will come. ”

In his veto message, Newsom injected hidden realism into bureaucratic language. “Given the limited funding available…the expansion of program eligibility must be considered within the broader context of the state’s annual budget.”

Translation: The mortgage program is broken, the state is running a deficit, and no additional funding has been allocated by Congress.

So, in effect, the measure meant doing nothing.

Another proposal, Senate Bill 227, by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) Undocumented workers receive unemployment benefits.

In vetoing the bill, the governor reiterated his insistence, as he has done for years with costly bills, that fiscal issues be resolved when he negotiates a state budget with the Legislature in June.

But Congress routinely tries to squeeze out spending long after the budget is passed each year. Even if the country is running a deficit.

A third vetoed bill, AB 2586, by Rep. David Alvarez (D-San Diego) would require the University of California, California State University, and community colleges to hire undocumented students for on-campus jobs. It was something.

Newsom said he vetoed the measure because it could put state employees at risk of violating federal law when it comes to hiring undocumented students. He added that courts should address this issue. And the bill’s supporters almost immediately filed suit to try to enforce the court’s ruling.

I called political consultant Mike Madrid and asked him if Latino voters were worried about the governor vetoing a bill aimed at benefiting illegal immigrants. In short, almost none.

Madrid responded, “They will become increasingly interested in such legislation.” “They will be opposed.”

“Latinos have been telling us for years that they want economic policies and upward mobility policies, but neither party has said that. We want to talk about family separation, which is fine, but we’re dealing with people who aren’t even citizens and can’t vote.”

Madrid is a Republican “Never Trumper” who believes the former president “is the only threat to our Constitution and our country.”

He is the author of the recently published book “The Latin Century: How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy.”

“If Gavin were to sign these bills, it would be a slap in the face to Harris, who has been trying to move the party away from old ways of thinking,” Madrid said.

“As the Democratic Party is losing Latino voters, she is moving the national party 180 degrees away from what it has been in California.”

“Latino voters today are fundamentally different than they were in the 1990s and 2000s because they are no longer recent immigrants,” the consultant continued. “Prop. 187 was 30 years ago. [Younger] Latino voters were not alive during Proposition 187. ”

This measure denied illegal immigrants public services, including schooling. The citizen initiative passed with an overwhelming majority, but a federal court ruled it unconstitutional. However, harsh rhetoric against illegal immigration has sparked strong Latino political activity in California.

But today’s Latinos are “much more focused on economic issues and affordability,” Madrid said. Many Democrats in Sacramento are acting as if the 1990s are still alive. They need to legitimately address the serious economic problems of the multigenerational Latino population here. ”

It’s not that California doesn’t support illegal immigrants. First of all, they are entitled to Medi-Cal care for the poor. Food assistance and financial aid for college will also be provided.

But Madrid is right. Sacramento Democrats must do more now to help working-class Latinos and middle-class people of all races and ethnicities.