I just called the governor’s office. No, I didn’t talk to Arnold Schwarzenegger (not that I expected I’d get to speak to him).

I called to ask him to sign California DREAM Act or Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Gil Cedillo.

According to the action alert I received from UCSA:

SB 1 will qualify undocumented students for non-competitive Cal Grants as well as private scholarships, and will enable California to educate more students and continue to compete economically in the changing economy.

Currently, undocumented students in public higher education — known in California as AB 540 students — qualify for in-state tuition if they meet certain requirements. (I’ve written on this in the past.) However, since they’re undocumented they’re ineligible for all forms of federal and state financial aid. They also can’t apply for many scholarships because those often require citizenship or permanent residency.

The bill is supported by lots of constituents. The UC Student Association (woot woot!) made this one of their main campaigns for the year and has been working hard on building student support. The main University of California Office of the President lobbyist sent in a letter urging the Governor to sign SB 1 (pdf). The California Postsecondary Education Commission did the same (pdf).

SB 1 is currently on the governor’s desk and waiting to be signed. You can help out. Make a call, send a letter or an email. It takes a few minutes to make a call, I was on hold longer than it took me to say “hi I’m Cindy Mosqueda. I’m calling to ask the governor to sign SB 1, a bill I think is very important to expand access to higher education.” Or something like that.

Either way, if you’re in California, show your support!