Yes, we did get the licenses!

It took 10 years and an intense session in the Capitol, but the possibility of driver’s licenses for the undocumented is now closer than ever. The only thing missing is the signature of Governor Brown, who already said in public that he supports the bill.

The decision to postpone AB 60, a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, had already been made on Thursday morning, causing new frustration among the immigrant community.

Having a different license for undocumented immigrants than for the rest of Californians is an extremely controversial issue. However, for many people, this is a minor problem as long as they can have a license to drive and are not subjected to vehicle impounds and other uncertainties.

From this page, in yesterday’s edition, we complained about the inability of Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento, in letting the bill die. Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) was able to prevent that frustration.

With help from his Latino colleagues and the governor’s support, the lawmaker advanced the bill in the Senate. This quick action reversed the idea that predominated among the Assembly leadership, to set aside AB 60 because it was not perfect, since anyone could identify the undocumented status of the license holder.

Yesterday, like other times, we criticized the lack of leadership in the state legislature, where special interests often outweigh the interests of the people. We now take our hats off to recognize the example of leadership that we saw in the state Senate on Thursday.

A decade ago, former Governor Gray Davies approved driver’s licenses for the undocumented, a move that was later repealed. Interestingly, in the name of security, having a large number of people living in the shadows was accepted for years, instead of registering them and getting at least their home addresses.

Issuing driver’s licenses to the undocumented provides road and public safety, in addition to letting these immigrants better contribute to our state’s economy.