College for all Californians?

Former San Diego congressman Brian Bilbray filed a lawsuit last month challenging California’s law that allows California high school graduates (including undocumented students) who have spent at least three years in a California high school to attend California colleges at in-state tuition rates. However, the law is not restricted to undocumented immigrants. Even a US citizen who gratuates from a California high school, leaves the state for any reason and then returns later, would qualify for the in-state rate. In fact, last year 1,339 UC students qualified for in-state tuition under the law, and more than two-thirds were US citizens. Only 430 were likely undocumented (out of a total 211,780 students enrolled at the University of California campuses.

San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer argues today that Bibray’s lawsuit is wrong, and that we should be encouraging more students to go to college. See
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/30/EDG5TG18QR1.DTL

bh