Fresh off housing bill veto, California now considers phone discounts for undocumented immigrants

California governor Gavin Newsom has been ambivalent about the topic of immigration as of late. In July he referred to immigrants as "the lifeblood" of the state's startup ecosystem. Yet, as election season has progressed, he has taken a different stance. On Monday, he vetoed a bill aimed at helping undocumented immigrants buy homes in California, while another one that would allow them to be employed at public universities currently sits on his desk.

Some, like Politico's Tyler Katzenberger, attribute the governor's stance to a broader strategy by Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, of tacking right on immigration and border security to neutralize a political weakness that Republicans have continuously exploited. Katzenberger even claims that Newsom has repeatedly warned California's Democratic Legislature "not to provide cannon fire for Republicans in an election year."

However, a new proposal seems poised to challenge the strategy as California is considering a proposal that would allow undocumented immigrants to participate in the California LifeLine program, which offers discounted phone services to low-income residents.

The California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote on September 26 to remove the requirement for a Social Security number, a change that was initially approved a decade ago but never implemented.

Proponents of the LifeLine expansion argue that it is a matter of fairness and public safety, as undocumented immigrants already contribute to the program through surcharges on their phone bills but are currently ineligible for benefits. "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 to Politico.

Conservatives, as expected, have already voiced their opposition. Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle expressed concern that newly arrived undocumented immigrants might access the program without having contributed to it:

"If you're down on your luck and we want to give you a hand up, not a handout, I'm for it. But to just continue to strap the everyday taxpayer with giving away assistance to people who haven't paid into the system? I'm opposed."

California LifeLine offers low-income state residents participating in the program up to $19 off their monthly cell service, up to $39 off a phone service connection and exemptions from some state, federal and local fees.