CPUC Vote On Discounted Phones and Plans For Illegal Immigrants Proposal Looms

Less than a week after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1840, which would have allowed illegal immigrants to borrow public taxpayer money for a down payment on a home purchase, another illegal immigrant subsidy is up for a possible passage.

This time around it concerns the California LifeLine Program. The state program not only gives discounted home phone and cell phone services to eligible households, but it also gives discounts on their phone bill. The program is limited to only one type of phone per household, with hard limits set to only those receiving welfare or to those earning a certain amount of money. A four person household not on welfare programs, for example, can only be eligible for the program if they make under $48,400 a year.

“A lot of Californians need phones to, for example, call in emergencies or call about getting jobs, or getting critical updates,” welfare advisor Enrique Soto told the Globe on Thursday. “LifeLine is very important for people because phone bills can be a big expense. And what the program discounts isn’t all that much. It is currently up to $19 off their monthly cell service and then up to $39 off a phone service connection. But it is critical for some.”

The emergency and public safety aspects, as well as “fairness” in providing discounted phones and services to all living in California, led to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to propose an expansion of the program to those without Social Security numbers, the vast majority of whom who would be eligible meaning undocumented immigrants. Originally, the program was supposed to have expanded in 2014, but ultimately never did. Now, ten years later, CPUC is attempting to bring illegal immigrants in to the program.

“If an undocumented Californian falls on hard times, they should benefit from this program, just like every other Californian,” said CPUC President Alice Reynolds.

A looming September 26th vote

However, the recent success of AB 1840 being vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump all supporting federal assistance programs that exclude illegal immigrants, has put the proposed LifeLine expansion under heavy scrutiny. Many California lawmakers have opposed the plan,  even comparing it to the phone version of what AB 1840 was attempting to do. And with a CPUC vote on the new expansion being set for September 26th, CPUC has been feeling the pressure to vote this one down.

“If you’re down on your luck and we want to give you a hand up, not a handout, I’m for it,” said Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber). “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.”

Proponents also worry that, even if it does pass, that the expansion will be the subject of lawsuits, as it would likely be at odds with federal law, which was what was being threatened against AB 1840 if it was signed.

“I don’t think CPUC wants another lawsuit on their hands,” explained “Dana,” a Capitol staffer, to the Globe on Thursday. “The AB 1840 veto was all about cost according to the veto, but a lawsuit if passed was very real. And now this CPUC thing. It’s the same thing except it’s for phones and it didn’t go through the legislature, but through a state agency. And if Newsom had this as a bill, he would veto it, as it will be a huge added cost to the state. That’s what no one is talking about. The cost. Sure, it’s only $20 or $40 bucks a pop, but there are between 2 and 3 million illegal immigrants in California at a given time. Even if you give very conservative lowball numbers on how many would take it, we’re still talking millions here.

“If CPUC wants to do the right thing, they’ll vote against this and try to figure out a more practical way of phone assistance, like giving the discount if they can prove that they are going through the immigration process. Something. There’s a right way to do this. This isn’t it.”

The CPUC vote is currently set for September 26th.