Ted Saul, Cesar Chavez addressing a group at the 20th Anniversary of the United Farm Workers Union ,Sacred Heart Church, San Jose, California, 1982; courtesy the Special Collections & Archives, San Jose State University
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In November 1994, California voters passed Proposition 187 with nearly 60 percent of the vote. The measure was designed to deny illegal immigrants social services, health care, and public education. It also called for police and other law enforcement agents to investigate anyone in custody who was suspected of being an illegal immigrant, and report them to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The legislation was eventually ruled unconstitutional.

The fight to stop Proposition 187 helped encourage Latino political organizing in the state. At the same time, Latinos grew to become 32 percent of the California population. This population growth, along with increased political activism, helped bring a new generation of political leaders to power, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Fabián Núñez, speaker of the California State Assembly.