In 1968 at Manual Arts High School, Los Angeles, a white student wearing an African tribal robe and necklace gets a lesson in what was then called "Negro History." Photo: Harry Chase, courtesy the UCLA Photographic Archive, Department of Special Collections

Population Shifts and Public Reaction

Questions of domestic migration and international immigration have profoundly influenced California politics. Currently, as the number of U.S. citizens leaving California exceeds the number of people from the U.S. and abroad who settle in the state each year, politicians and others proclaim that everything from the high cost of housing to environmental regulations are forcing people and businesses from the state.

In contrast to fears about departures from the state, Proposition 187, passed by California voters in 1994, was designed to discourage one form of immigration by denying illegal immigrants any state services, including education for children.

These events and people directly affect the lives of all Californians, whether they live in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles; the burgeoning city of San Diego, once known as a "Navy town"; the small agricultural communities of central California; or the college dorms throughout the state. Yet the effects of new immigration laws, reforms, and movements are felt throughout the nation. The aspirations and tensions of Californians quickly come to impact national dreams and concerns.