Californians and their governor have made it clear they don't want to give driver's licenses to those who come into the United States illegally, but that matters little to state lawmakers now working to keep unlicensed illegal immigrants behind the wheel. 

An in-your-face measure that would allow the state to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants was held up in the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, a move that will likely kill it, at least for now. Killing the bill was a smart move by the Democrat-heavy committee, which no doubt wants to spare the party a high-profile veto 10 weeks before an election. 

But the Assembly is still expected to vote on SB626, a back-door bill already approved by the state Senate that would reduce the required 30-day impoundment of cars driven by unlicensed drivers to 24 hours - but only for those who were never able to get a license in the first place. 

Sound stupid? It is. 

Under current state law, citizens caught driving without a license - but who obtained a license legally at some point - lose their cars for up to 30 days. That doesn't change under the new bill except in cases where the driver never had a license, either because he chose not to get one or, as in the case of illegal immigrants, could not legally acquire one. 

In those cases the driver can get his car back in 24 hours. 

After all, supporters of the bill say, it's not the illegal immigrant's fault if the state refuses to issue him a license, is it? 

No kidding, that's their argument. 

It's a they're-going-to-do-it anyway argument that underscores certain lawmakers' disdain for proper legal-immigration channels and their disregard for the safety of all those on the road. 

The bill does stipulate that the impounded cars may not be released without "presentation of the registered owner's or legal owner's valid driver's license," but how to guarantee the "registered owner" is the true owner and driver of the car?

To those who have voted in support of this measure, including Kern County Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, and state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, we should ask "Are those who enter the United States illegally breaking the law or not?" 

Of course they are. 

So why, then, would we award those breaking the law a driver's license, a form of legal status they are not legally entitled to? And why should those breaking the law be spared the 30-day impound rule and accompanying fines that legal residents must pay when we're busted for driving without a license? 

Republican lawmakers Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy and state Sen. Roy Ashburn, both of Bakersfield, have voted against the bill, which Ashburn calls "another measure that's pulling the teeth out of existing law." 

"It will further undermine the law that's in place to deter people from driving without a license and encourages people to break the law by coming into the country illegally," he said. 

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been talking tough on illegal immigration in recent weeks - tougher than opponent Phil Angelides is, anyway - so he's likely to veto SB 626, as he has vetoed similar bills, if the measure makes it to his desk. 

If he's a governor who's serious about immigration reform, he will.