SACRAMENTO, California — California is weighing a first-in-the-nation proposal that would grant some undocumented immigrants access to a government-run phone bill discount program. But the timing is a bit awkward.
The proposal , scheduled for an agency vote Thursday, would see the state eliminate social security numbers as a requirement for California LifeLine, a program that subsidizes phone bill discounts for low-income residents. California’s Public Utilities Commission agreed to drop the requirement 10 years ago but never did.
“If an undocumented Californian falls on hard times, they should benefit from this program, just like every other Californian,” said utilities commission President Alice Reynolds.
Yet the vote comes as many national Democrats — including Vice President Kamala Harris — have tacked right on immigration and border security to neutralize a political weakness that Republicans and former President Donald Trump have tried to exploit as Election Day approaches.