Editorial:

On Monday Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 130, which will allow un-documented students who qualify for reduced in-state tuition to apply for $88 million in private scholarship funds administered by the University of California, Cal State University and the California Community Colleges. This is the first of two bills to fulfill the completion of the DREAM Act in California.

   While we applauded Governor Brown for following through on his campaign promise by signing this bill, the person responsible for ushering the bill through, after years and years of hard work, stumbling blocks, and vetoes, is Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) who made passage of the DREAM Act his legislative priority.

   The DREAM Act is not only good legislation, it is good common sense. This legislation is intended for immigrant students who qualify for in-state tuition. It gives them access to private scholarship funds. The students who will qualify and apply for the DREAM Act will represent some of the best Hispanic students in the community. They are intelligent, they are hard working, and they are driven to succeed. These students represent the American ideal and they are the future of the state. It would go against humanity to deny these students the opportunity to succeed.

   While the signing of AB 130 is a step in the right direction, the easy step, it is only half of the process. Still waiting to come up for a vote is AB 131, the companion bill, which will allow undocumented students access to the larger public scholarships and grants — such as the Cal Grant, which awards up to $12,192 per student. Cal Grants and other public grants are only available to U.S. citizens. AB 131 is also sponsored by Assemblyman Cedillo.

   AB 131 will be a bigger challenge to pass because it represents a bigger piece of the scholarship pie and includes state and federal dollars.

   Education is the key to the future of Hispanics in the United States as the community continues to grow and assume greater leadership responsibilities. When the brightest youth of the Hispanic community are denied the opportunity to succeed in education, the future of the state and country will suffer, and the United States will continue to add to the ranks of the working poor in this country.

   According to a recent report by the UC, about 41,000 students who are illegal immigrants or out-of-state students qualify for the reduced tuition benefit. 41,000 students represent less than 1% of the enrollment in the UC, Cal State, and community college systems.

   This is not the time to quibble about or deny the passage of AB 131 based on financial constraints. This argument against AB 131 is shallow when you are talking about less than 1% of the overall college population within the state. Although financial difficulties plague our state at the moment, tomorrow brings new prospects and opportunities for the future.  As a community and state we need to prepare for the future and not throw up yet another road block to a better society by denying the passage of AB 131. It is time to look forward and not cower under the cloak of despair.