Poizner blasts L.A. County officials for Arizona boycott vote
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Republican candidate for governor Steve Poizner blasted Los Angeles County officials Wednesday for voting to boycott the state of Arizona over its new crackdown on illegal immigration and pledged if elected to cut off state contracts with any company that cannot prove its workers are in this country legally. “We have to stop the flow of illegals into the state of California,” Poizner said, speaking with reporters before holding a small rally at a GOP headquarters in Upland. “When I’m governor, the first day, I’m going to issue an executive order that will require every company doing business with any state agency here in the state of California to prove and document they’re only hiring people that are here legally, or else I will order the state of California’s agencies and departments to cancel contracts with any business that doesn’t document they’re complying with federal immigration laws.”
Poizner will appear in front of the county Hall of Administration later Wednesday with county Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who on Tuesday voted against the boycott. It passed 3 to 2.
“I just strongly condemn the Board of Supervisors’ vote last night to boycott what’s going on in Arizona,” Poizner said. “It’s a big mistake. The city and county of Los Angeles, these people need to focus on the near-bankruptcy of Los Angeles. They need to focus on financial solvency and bringing jobs back to Los Angeles. That’s what they need to focus on, not making politics out of this very difficult immigration issue.”
Poizner has made illegal immigration a central issue in his primary battle with Meg Whitman, the former head of EBay. She opposes the Arizona measure, which allows law enforcement to check the immigration status of people they have stopped if they suspect them of being in the country illegally, while he supports it.
Although Republican primary voters are very supportive of the measure, Poizner’s attack hasn’t had enough resonance to make up for Whitman’s wealth and her massive lead in the polls.
-- Seema Mehta in Upland