Anti-Real ID Rebellion Spreads to California

This is good news - as I can tell you first hand - that a significant coalition has formed here in California, with the Consumer Federation of California being one of them, to stop REAL ID implementation in our state.

Further, in light of growing grassroots opposition to the Act, California Assemblyman Nava has introduced a bill to address the numerous problems with the law, particularly those related to privacy, cost, and security.

Wired Magazines Blog detailed these recent developments:

Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-35) introduced a non-binding resolution to that effect Monday afternoon in response to concerns about privacy, security and the high price of the federal mandate -- which the government's most recent estimate pegs at $4 billion nationally. The feds are only ponying up a token amount of money, but say states can dip into their federal homeland security grants to help pay down the bill.

...

The resolution, which needs to go through a set of committees in both of California's legislative bodies before coming to a floor vote, would tentatively join California to a group of 17 states that have expressed opposition to the unfunded mandate. Three states have outright rejected Real ID, setting up a showdown on May 11, when the federal government says it will not allow residents of Montana, Maine, South Carolina and New Hampshire to use their state I.D. cards for federal purposes.

...

California's resolution doesn't go nearly that far, since the state has already gotten the extension, but still might boost the anti-Real ID movement given the state's size, clout and dire finances. If passed, the California resolution (.pdf), known as AJR 51, does not need the signature of California's Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to go into effect.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.