OC congressional candidates weigh in on anti-crime Prop. 36

• October 25, 2024

Before California voters this year is Proposition 36, billed as an anti-crime measure aimed at increasing penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes.

It’s among the more contentious topics on the ballot this year. If passed, it would, among other things, allow people with at least two prior theft convictions to be charged with felonies, regardless if what was stolen is worth less than $950.

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Orange County Register’s November 5, 2024 General Election Voter Guide
All 10 propositions on California’s 2024 ballot, explained

The measure seeks to roll back parts of Proposition 47. Passed by voters in 2014, that proposition reduced penalties for certain theft and drug offenses. Under Prop. 47, the threshold for prosecuting retail theft as a felony was raised from $400 to $950. The measure intended to reduce prison overcrowding, lower incarceration rates and redirect savings into mental health and drug treatment programs.

Prop. 36, up this year, allows judges to sentence drug dealers to state prison rather than county jail if convicted of trafficking hard drugs in large quantities or possessing a firearm while trafficking drugs. Convicted drug dealers and manufacturers could also be warned that they may face murder charges if they continue to traffic and someone dies as a result.

The proposition calls for treatment plans for people who plead guilty to felony drug possession, which could lead to their charges being dropped.

Recent polling from the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that Prop. 36 has strong support among Californians. Among the 1,646 adult residents surveyed, 73% said they would vote in favor of the proposition if the election were held today.

Regionally, support for Proposition 36 is highest in the Inland Empire at 80%, while it is lowest in Los Angeles at 70%. In Orange County, 71% of surveyed residents said they would vote yes.

Where do Orange County’s 12 congressional candidates stand on Prop 36? Here’s what they shared about the measure and how the federal government could help states like California balance criminal justice reform with law enforcement, as featured in the Orange County Register’s Voter Guide.

38th district

Rep. Linda Sánchez, seeking reelection in a Democratic-leaning district, emphasized the need for a balanced approach that combines strong law enforcement with meaningful criminal justice reform.

“That is why I have supported providing our police officers with the tools, training and support necessary to do their jobs and foster stronger community trust,” said the Democratic lawmaker said, pointing to money she brought back to her district for Rio Hondo College’s Police Academy.

“But we must also reform our criminal justice system, including providing pathways to rehabilitation and addressing systemic issues that drive crime,” Sánchez added. “Right now, we spend more on prisons than we do on education. That needs to change.”

Her opponent, Republican Eric Ching, said he would get federal authorities involved in going after criminals.

“The federal government has jurisdiction over these types of crimes,” Ching said. “I believe less criminals means less crimes. I will ask federal agencies to actively pursue them.”

40th district

Rep. Young Kim, a two-term Republican in the district, said she’s introduced bipartisan legislation to improve communication and cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement to ensure that retail thieves are held accountable. She said she’s also backed efforts to fight mail and package theft.

“Currently, certain punishments only apply if USPS packages are stolen, and the Porch Pirates Act ensures those stealing packages from private companies like FedEx, UPS or Amazon receive the same punishment,” she said.

Joe Kerr, a Democrat, said he supports rolling back parts of Prop. 47, which he said has “proven to make California less safe.”

“Criminals need to be held accountable for their actions, and victims need to be prioritized. We can support efforts to keep Californians safe in their homes, neighborhoods and schools by securing federal funding for critical security measures and programs. We must ensure that law enforcement and first responders have the tools to do their jobs and do them well,” he said.

45th district

Calling Proposition 47 a “soft-on-crime” law, Rep. Michelle Steel — locked in a tough reelection fight this year — said she supports laws that ensure criminals face the consequences of their actions.

In a questionnaire posed by the Register, Steel highlighted several pieces of legislation she has supported in Congress, including a bill from Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, that aims to find alternatives to arrest for people in mental health crises and improve law enforcement training for handling these situations, among other things.

Her Democratic opponent, Derek Tran, said he has “always believed in the principles of responsibility and community,” drawing from his experience in the U.S. Army and running a small business. And as a mentor to at-risk youth, Tran said he also believes in giving people second chances through rehabilitation.

“Proposition 36 is a step toward restoring order and safety in our neighborhoods while also giving people a second chance through rehabilitation,” he said. “It represents a common-sense approach to dealing with the complexities of crime and addiction in our society.”

46th district

Rep. Lou Correa said improving data-sharing among state, federal and international agencies would help target the right criminals and protect hardworking business owners from theft and profit loss.

“The federal government has a duty to make sure that states like California have access to the federal resources and federal collaboration they need to tackle issues like rising organized retail crime head-on,” he said.

Republican David Pan said it is the states’ responsibility to pass laws punishing criminal behavior, and the federal government could help reduce crime by reforming its welfare policies. He suggested cutting welfare programs and using the money to provide a universal basic income of $16,000 per year for all Americans aged 21 and older.

“This system would create what amounts to a permanent refundable tax credit for all Americans,” he said.

47th district

Crime and public safety are particularly prominent in the race for the open 47th congressional district seat, where state Sen. Dave Min and former GOP Assemblymember Scott Baugh are in a tight race to succeed Porter.

In June, Min bucked party leadership, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, by publicly supporting Prop. 36.

“While Prop. 47 was well-intentioned, it led to unintended consequences that must be addressed,” he said.

Min said if he’s elected to Congress, he would support a “sensible approach to public safety,” one he described in a questionnaire posed by the Register as “tough on crime but also humane.”

“There should be consequences for those who have broken the law, but we should also invest in programs that try to steer at-risk youth away from criminal activities — such as community programs and early intervention — and also to try to help those who have served their time more easily reenter society, including through more investments in job training and housing,” he said.

On his campaign website, Baugh said he endorsed Prop. 36 “immediately upon its qualification for the ballot.”

“Proposition 36 rolls back the soft-on-crime provisions of Proposition 47 and adds new penalties for a broad range of theft offenses,” he said.

“Smash and grab crimes are running rampant in our communities and recently resulted in the murder of a shopper at Fashion Island in Newport Beach,” said Baugh, referencing a failed robbery attempt at the upscale mall in July that resulted in the death of a 69-year-old woman.

49th district

Rep. Mike Levin, who is running for reelection in another closely watched district, said the federal government should provide funding to local law enforcement in a way that supports officers in their duties while also promoting transparency.

He said he’d brought back federal dollars to install cameras in Oceanside Police Department’s patrol vehicles and supported legislation aimed at funding recruitment, retention, mental health and training for small and mid-sized police departments.

“These are investments in our officers and our community,” Levin said.

His Republican challenger, Matt Gunderson, said Prop. 36 will restore accountability and ensure that criminals face appropriate penalties.

“Prop. 47 has led to unintended consequences, allowing criminals to face minimal repercussions for thefts of $950 or less,” he said. “This leniency has fueled a surge in property crimes with repeat offenders exploiting the law’s weaknesses, leaving our communities vulnerable.”

Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report. 

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For 20% of California, half the paycheck or more goes to housing

• October 25, 2024

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.

The pain: Housing eats up at least half of paychecks in one-fifth of California households.

The source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at the latest Census Bureau stats tracking household expenses in 2023, focusing on what government experts call “extreme burdens” – folks paying 50% or more of their income for housing.

The pinch

California is by far the nation’s largest housing market, so it’s not terribly surprising that it’s also home to the most households spending half of their income on shelter – 2.7 million, or 14% of the nation’s 19.3 million. Next is Texas at 1.7 million, Florida at 1.6 million, New York at 1.5 million and Pennsylvania at 687,900.

What’s distressing is the size of the 20% slice of the Golden State’s population that it represents. That’s the largest slice among the states, and well above the 15% slice nationwide.

New York and Hawaii are next in shares of households spending half-plus on housing at 19%. Then comes Florida and Nevada at 18%. Texas was No. 14 at 15%.

And where is it the hardest to find deeply housing-pinched households? North Dakota and West Virginia were at 9%, South Dakota at 10%, and Iowa and Missouri at 11%.

Pressure points

This metric is just more evidence that family finances are far worse for renters.

Yes, California has the most folks paying 50% or more to the landlord, at 1.63 million. That’s 15% of the US total, followed by Texas at 993,500, New York at 934,800, Florida at 843,500, and Pennsylvania at 373,100.

But perhaps surprisingly, California ranked only fourth-highest for share of renters paying half-or more at 28% vs. 26% nationally.

Tops was Florida at 31%, then Louisiana at 30%, and Nevada at 29%. Texas was No. 17 at 25%. Lows? North Dakota at 16%, then Wyoming, South Dakota and Kansas at 19%.

Not that owners – those with or without mortgages – escape this high-cost category. The pain is just far less.

Again, California ranked No. 1 at 1.1 million owners saddled with housing costs gobbling up half or more of incomes. That’s 13% of the nation’s 8.4 million. No. 2 was Florida at 760,800, then Texas at 685,700, New York at 537,500, and Illinois at 324,300.

Sadly, California had the highest share of its owners in this financially stressed niche at 14% vs. 10% nationally.

After California came Hawaii at 14%, New York and Florida at 13%, and New Jersey at 12%. Texas was No. 15 at 10%. Lows? North Dakota at 5%, West Virginia at 6%, then Iowa, South Dakota, and Indiana at 7%.

Politically speaking

It’s that season, so we sliced these housing-cost pressure points by which states supported President Biden in the 2020 election.

Blue states had 16% of all their households spending 50% or more on housing in 2023 vs. 14% in red states.

When it came to renters, blue states had 26% spending 50% or more, vs. 25% in red states. As for owners, blue states had 11% spending half-plus on shelter vs. 9% in red states.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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High school football: Scores from Thursday’s Week 9 games

• October 25, 2024

The scores from the Week 9 high school football games Thursday, Oct. 24.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

CIF-SS

605 League

Artesia 35, Pioneer 27

Cerritos 35, Glenn 0

Alpha League

Los Alamitos 28, San Clemente 27

Baseline League

Damien 38, Ayala 7

Chino Hills 31, Rancho Cucamonga 21

Upland 28, Etiwanda 14

Big West League — Upper

Chaparral 49, Roosevelt 0

Bravo League

San Juan Hills 42, Villa Park 10

Citrus Belt League

Beaumont 56, Redlands East Valley 8

Yucaipa 38, Redlands 20

Cajon 44, Citrus Valley 13

Cottonwood League

Santa Rosa Academy 54, Temecula Prep 0

Desert Sky League

Barstow 35, Silverado 28

Victor Valley 26, Adelanto 0

Desert Valley League

Indio 14, Twentynine Palms 0

Golden League

Palmdale 64, Eastside 6

Hacienda League

Diamond Bar 55, Chino 28

Iota League

Troy 49, Irvine 13

Ivy league

Orange Vista 41, Riverside North 0

Lambda League

La Palma Kennedy 28, Marina 14

Manzanita League

Desert Christian 40, Hamilton 31

Miramonte League

Duarte 42, Bassett 0

Mission Valley League

South El Monte 49, Gabrielino 13

Mojave River League

Apple Valley 42, Ridgecrest Burroughs 0

Oak Hills 58, Sultana 0

Mountain Pass League

Elsinore 37, Tahquitz 33

West Valley at San Jacinto, postponed

Rio Hondo League

Monrovia 28, La Canada 21

San Andreas League

Grand Terrace 29, San Gorgonio 21

Sigma League

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 42, Rancho Alamitos 29

Sunbelt League

Valley View 35, Riverside Poly 28

Trinity League

JSerra 35, Santa Margarita 33

Valle Vista League

Northview 34, West Covina 17

Zeta League

Godinez 26, Savanna 18

8-man

Coast Valley League

Coast Union 57, San Luis Obispo Academy 12

L.A. CITY SECTION

Eastern League

Huntington Park 34, South Gate 20

South East 26, Legacy 9

Metro League

View Park 20, Hawkins 13

Jordan 40, Rancho Dominguez 18

Valley Mission League

Canoga Park 44, Reseda 14

Kennedy 47, Panorama 14

Sylmar 13, Van Nuys 0

8-man

Valley League

East Valley 62, Discovery 0

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Troy football claims share of Iota League title with victory over Irvine

• October 25, 2024

FULLERTON — Behind record-setting nights from senior quarterback Rudy Alcala and senior wide receiver Vander Ploog, Troy defeated Irvine 49-13 to take sole possession of first place in the Iota League on Thursday night at Fullerton High.

The Warriors (8-1, 4-0) claimed a share of the league title and can win it outright with a victory in their league finale next week at El Toro. Irvine dropped to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in league.

“We’re just hitting our stride right now, we’re really becoming a team,” Troy coach Michael Echaves said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work and a lot of tough conversations, lots of consequences but our boys are really starting to understand that it’s about the team and it’s about each other and it’s fun man, it’s getting fun.”

Alcala, who threw four touchdown passes, broke his own single-season school record (24 TDs in 2023) by throwing his 25th touchdown pass with a 6-yard throw to Ploog, who set a new school record with the grab, his 15th TD catch of the season.

Ploog, who added another TD catch in the second quarter to make his total 16, surpassed Declan Healey’s record of 14 touchdown receptions, which was set last season in 12 games.

“There’s special players you come across, and it’s so funny because it’s not as much physical as it is this crazy competitive edge that they have,” Echaves said. “It has been so fun to watch both of them, sometimes go after each other’s throats, in a good way to try and get the best out of each other and then match each other’s energy.”

“The chemistry is unreal,” he added. “In this day and age, to see two kids like that, stick it out at one high school, we’re so proud of that and so elated to have that kind of community and that kind of program.”

Kellen Watts had a pair of rushing touchdowns while Caleb Huss and Charles Rippon also caught touchdown passes from Alcala in the second half.

Ethan Mundt rushed for 202 yards and a touchdown as the Warriors dominated the line of scrimmage.

The Vaqueros weren’t at full strength as their leading rusher, Brandon Figueroa, came into the contest questionable with an ankle injury.

Figueroa carried the ball just three times for 43 yards.

Irvine was able to close the gap 14-6 late in the first quarter when quarterback Khoa Bui hit Deacon Moss for an 8-yard TD pass but the Warriors scored touchdowns on their next five drives to put the game out of reach.

Bui was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and Sina Saferzadeh took over under center for the remainder of the game.

Saferzadeh scored for the Vaqueros on a 1-yard keeper in the fourth quarter.

Echaves has his sights set on an outright league championship in the inaugural season of the Iota League and a deep playoff run.

“Last year we had to share the title with La Habra and Sonora. This year, that’s the goal to win the (league) championship and start to prepare for what we anticipate to be a tough playoff division,” he said. “To see how good this group can be is going to be exciting.”

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JSerra football stops Santa Margarita in final seconds for first Trinity League win

• October 25, 2024

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MISSION VIEJO — An investigation into incidents within a program. Key injuries. Playoff scenarios, and a South County rivalry known for dramatic finishes.

JSerra and Santa Margarita combined to offer plenty of questions entering their Trinity League game at Trabuco Hills High on Thursday.

Ryan Hopkins, Logan Christensen and JSerra led the way in supplying the answers.

The Lions’ defense swarmed to stop Trent Mosley on a 2-point conversion run with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter to seal a 35-33 victory and their first league triumph.

In his first game back from injury, Mosley scored his third touchdown on the previous play, a 5-yard run to the right from the Wildcat formation.

On the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, Mosley again ran right and was stopped by a group of tacklers that included Travis Jeffrey, Elisha Canales, Christensen and star linebacker Madden Faraimo, who played with one hand heavily wrapped.

“We knew it was going to Mosley,” said Christensen, a safety committed to UNLV. “We knew what we had to do. We knew we had to fly over there to make a tackle. He’s very tough to take down. Just wrap up and hold on.”

https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1849678613806789108

JSerra (6-3, 1-3), ranked No. 5 in Orange County, did just that and held off the No. 6 Eagles (3-6, 0-4), who won the teams’ game last year on a field goal by Ryan Gass with one second left.

“This is such a rivalry,” JSerra coach Victor Santa Cruz said. “Hats off to Santa Margarita and Trent Mosley being back for his first game. The guy is a heck of a weapon. Just the competition that was today was high school at its greatest. So I’m just proud of our guys for being able to respond.”

JSerra certainly responded in the third quarter. The Lions opened the second half by driving for a 4-yard TD run by Christensen out of the Wildcat formation and a 25-20 lead.

After JSerra’s Garrett Dudenhoeffer recorded a sack to help force a Santa Margarita punt, the Lions took advantage of good field position to march for an 8-yard touchdown run by Hopkins. The Lions opened a 32-20 advantage.

Santa Margarita answered with a Mosley touchdown run early in the fourth quarter but a booming 42-yard field goal by Carter Meza with 4:14 left provided the decisive points.

Playing for the first time since Sept. 13, Mosley made his presence felt in the first half with eight catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 13 receptions for 125 yards and 25 yards rushing.

The junior’s play helped the Eagles take a 20-19 lead after a back-and-forth opening half.

But it was a defensive play that factored significantly at intermission. Eagles’ cornerback Jayden Crowder intercepted a pass near his 40 and returned it to the JSerra 28 with 7:19 left in the second quarter.

After a personal foul on the return moved the ball to the 14, John Gazzaniga threaded a 14-yard TD pass to Jack Junker as the Eagles took their first lead at 20-13.

JSerra responded a 19-yard TD pass from Hopkins to Christensen with 2:30 remaining in the half. Crowder emerged again by blocking the PAT as the Eagles held a 20-19 lead.

Earlier in the week, Santa Margarita president Andy Sulick said there were no updates available on investigation into incidents within the program or status of coach Anthony Rouzier, who is on administrative leave.

The Eagles entered the game ranked eighth in the CIF Southern Section power ratings. The narrow loss could keep them in that position and on the bubble to join No. 7 JSerra in the Division 1 playoffs as an at-large entry.

Next week, Santa Margarita concludes the regular season by playing host to Servite at Trabuco Hills High on Friday, Nov. 1. JSerra plays at St. John Bosco on the same night.

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Los Alamitos football blocks PAT in final seconds to secure victory over San Clemente

• October 25, 2024

LONG BEACH — With so much on the line for two evenly matched teams, it seemed almost fitting that the Alpha League game between San Clemente and Los Alamitos on Thursday came down to a single play.

The Tritons were trailing by 7 when Jack Ferguson connected with Jaxson Rex for a touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

The Griffins’ Johnny Howze then ran through a hole in the line and blocked the ensuing point-after attempt, and Los Alamitos escaped with a 28-27 victory at Veterans Stadium.

The No. 11 Griffins improved to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the four-team Alpha League, while the No. 10 Tritons dropped to 4-5 and 0-2.

Only the top two finishers in a four-team league receive automatic playoff berths. The other two teams will have to hope they receive an at-large berth for the playoffs. Teams with .500-and-above records have priority for the at-large berths.

The Griffins will finish the regular season on Friday, Nov. 1, against No. 2-ranked Mission Viejo.

The Tritons likely need to win their final game next week, against Edison, to have a good chance for an at-large berth.

“Both teams were coming in at 4-4, feeling like this was a playoff game.” Griffins coach Ray Fenton said. “Both teams played crazy schedules. We’re both in the Top 30 in the state but scrapping to get five wins. And I was just glad to see our guys be gritty today.”

Lenny Ibarra scored on a 9-yard run, his third touchdown of the game, to give the Griffins a 28-21 lead with 34 seconds remaining.

The Tritons then took over on their own 16 with no timeouts and gained 56 yards on a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play on first down.

Ferguson spiked the ball on the next play, leaving 17 seconds left, and then threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rex, setting up the extra-point attempt.

Howze said teammate Jackson Renger blocked out a San Clemente lineman and opened a hole for him to get through to block the kick.

Johnny Howze blocked the potential game-tying point-after attempt with 13 seconds left in the game to help Los Alamitos escape with a 28-27 victory over San Clemente on Thursday, Oct. 24. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

“I got one hand on it,” Howze said. “My left hand is still stinging right now.”

The Griffins also blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter.

Both teams scored on long drives and both teams converted on third and fourth downs on those drives.

Both teams also made fourth-down stops and created turnovers.

“It’s the Alpha League for a reason,” San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said. “They play Mission Viejo and we’ll see what happens there. Then after that, we’ll see how things break down. Our kids battled but didn’t make the plays when he had to. And we’ve got to regroup and come back next week and play a very good Edison team.”

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Rams WR Puka Nacua makes splash in surprise return to field

• October 25, 2024

INGLEWOOD — Shortly after telling reporters Monday not to expect receiver Puka Nacua to come off injured reserve for Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sean McVay got a visit from vice president of sports medicine Reggie Scott.

And the head athletic trainer had some surprising news for the Rams’ head coach.

“Reggie doesn’t throw it out there unless he knows it’s probably a good chance,” McVay said. “He said, ‘I think Puka might have a good chance to go.’”

McVay assumed that meant for Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. But that was not what Scott nor Nacua had in mind after the receiver had missed five games with a PCL sprain. The second-year receiver had a workout Tuesday, and looked good. He looked good in Wednesday’s jog through. Suddenly, a Thursday night return seemed like a real possibility.

“Once you tease me, you’re going,” McVay joked.

There was no tease in the way Nacua played in Thursday’s 30-20 win. He led the team with 106 receiving yards (the eighth 100-yard game of his short career), making seven catches on nine targets – all coming within quarterback Matthew Stafford’s first 12 passing attempts. Nacua caught balls at the line of scrimmage on screen plays and took them for more than 10 yards after the catch. He dove to break up the occasional errant pass from Stafford, and leaped to try and make acrobatic plays.

In other words, it didn’t look like that knee was a problem for him at all.

“I thought it was really impressive. Puka’s had one practice,” receiver Cooper Kupp said. “It was really cool to see him and Matthew connect like they were and for him to just feel confident out there. It’s kind of the Puka we’ve all seen before.”

Nacua even got involved in the Rams’ run blocking. He got to the second level to spring a couple of big gains for running back Kyren Williams, including a seal block on a linebacker to spring a pivotal fourth-down conversion on the Rams’ final touchdown drive of the game.

“To get back blocking for Kyren felt freaking amazing,” Nacua said.

It’s been a long six weeks for Nacua to get to this point. The receiver played through a litany of bumps and bruises to stay on the field for all 17 games during his record-breaking rookie season. But this injury, suffered in the first half of the Rams’ season-opening loss in Detroit, was not something that could be ignored.

He spent six weeks mostly in the training room, trying to stay focused in his recovery efforts.

“They’ve been one day at a time,” Nacua said. “That feels like it’s been my motto that I’ve been trying to keep and especially in rehab was something that kept me going. And then also being able to invest in other relationships; Steve Avila, we came in together and then guys like Jonah Jackson and [Derion Kendrick], guys who have been in the training room, being able to invest in those relationships too because we were in the same boat. It gives you confidence when you see somebody else fighting their battle every day and coming in like, man, I’m ready to get better.”

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He missed being in the meeting rooms, eating lunch at the same time, just sharing the same schedule as his teammates.

But he was able to return on Thursday, sooner than anyone predicted. And he came away physically feeling ready for the next challenge.

“It feels great,” Nacua said of his knee. “I feel like we played a Thursday night football game, we get 10 days to recover, so maybe I’m still on the game high but I’m ready to go.”

​ Orange County Register 

Don’t let the immigration issue spoil your good heart

• October 25, 2024

Many atrocities could have been avoided if people were more careful about how far they allowed their humanity to slide. It’s a gradual process and it happens so softly. But this isn’t about avoiding genocide – it’s about avoiding the destruction of our own goodness. Donald Trump has been sowing the seeds of moral decomposition for many years now.

In 2014 he warned attendees of a conservative conference, “You better be smart. They’re taking your jobs. You better be careful.”

During his campaign announcement back in 2015 he said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Drugs, crime, and rape are what these people bring is, I believe, the message.

His abuse of the immigration issue for his own gain has only increased over the years. He claimed that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and more recently, that immigrants are conquering entire towns and that our country is known around the world as occupied. In the presidential debate he shouted, “They’re eating the dogs!”

Regrettably, studies have demonstrated that this sort of rhetoric has a very real impact on how people relate to what they perceive to be outsiders. But we don’t need psychological studies to tell us this – there are too many historical examples of rhetoric like this being used to manipulate regular people into rationalizing dehumanizing attitudes and practices toward fellow humans, particularly immigrants.

Of course, the bulk of the consequences for these types of attitude shifts are suffered by the target groups, but we should not ignore the consequences that it has on the manipulated. Most importantly, because it turns us into bad people and it causes our hearts to grow callous toward the suffering of others – people who tell funny stories at family gatherings, feel pride in the accomplishments of their children, enjoy colorful sunsets, and like playing with, not grilling, puppies.

For many decades since the Supreme Court’s 1982 Plyler v Doe decision, it has been taken for granted as obvious that we should not deny a free K-12 public education to children living illegally in the US. But as far-right rhetoric has increased, so have the voices who would wish to overturn Plyler v Doe. There is a growing movement for states to introduce tuition requirements for undocumented children with the explicit purpose of bringing the issue to our conservative Supreme Court. As compassionate people, this should sound like several steps too far – they’re just kids. When innocent children are involved, our response to concerns about resources should be to increase the resources, not kick the children to the curb.

It’s entirely legitimate to criticize particular border policies such as how many immigrants are allowed into the country. It’s a more sinister step to think of them as undeserving of basic human decency. As we’ve seen in our species’ short history, that’s a quick way to justify repugnant behaviors toward the target population.

I’m sure many people wouldn’t think of themselves or Trump as dehumanizing immigrants in their criticisms. But what else could it be when some think that they don’t deserve any resources at all or when some agree with the sentiment behind calling them criminals and animals.

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Earlier this month, Trump said, “How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers, many of them murdered far more than one person, and they’re now happily living in the United States. You know now a murder, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”

In 1986 Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act which made it illegal for hospitals to refuse treatment for emergencies because of legal status or ability to pay. Perhaps this most recent wave of anti-immigrant sentiment will soon extend to complaining about immigrants being given emergency care even though they’re not US citizens and they have no health insurance.

Some may be OK with the dystopian image of illegal immigrant mothers giving birth on hospital steps or illegal immigrant fathers dying very quietly at home. They are immigrants after all – not real Americans, the thinking goes, and our hard-earned tax dollars should be spent on our own.

Be careful about how far you let your humanity slide.

Rafael Perez is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.

​ Orange County Register