by Marvin J. Ramirez
Marvin Ramirez
Dear Members of the Board of Supervisors: Please take notice on the document I sent you last week via email, for the purpose of helping you to consider making a decision to draft a local legislation to extend the San Francisco Sanctuary Law in the area of traffic.
San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano is currently drafting legislation to create a city identification card for immigrants unable to get traditional ID cards, a great idea and a long-awaited move by San Francisco.
“There is a large community who contribute, and there are not a lot of safeguards around their (immigration) status, their peace of mind and their ability to participate,” Ammiano said.
The card would be available to all people living in the City and County of San Francisco.
However, granting them driving rights continue to being excluded by SF, which is also a major necessity for so many undocumented immigrants with school-age children, and who pay taxes and contribute to the economy of the City.
And all of you supervisors, have failed in this area by not ending this humiliating treatment of this unprotected community, by allowing your police department – especially your motorcycle unit – to pray on those who look humble and poor, and Latinos, to stop them and confiscate their cars.
If you read the attached document, I am sure you will find enough points of law to help you draft a comprehensive driving permit – for those who are not provided a California Driver’s License – to drive within the City and County of San Francisco without fear of having their cars confiscated.
This also will protect other drivers from being hit by unlicensed drivers, and therefore without insurance. As the proverb says: if there is a will it can be done.
If you, supervisors, decide to take action on this recommendation, I rebe used by you to make a faster determination, that in fact, despite of whether you grant this right to them or not, a person has a constitutional right to drive, so proving that driving it is not a privilege as stated in the California Code, rather a right.
San Francisco could be the first large American city to have such a card that Ammiano wants it approved. New Haven, Conn., has such a program, and New York City is considering one. But also it could be fi rst city to grant them this driving right.
Any commentary to this letter is welcome for publication in El Reportero.
