But there is a determination to really step out and try to mount a credible campaign to . . . So far, no major statewide committee has come together to oppose Unz and Matta Tuchman. Olsen said she expects a coalition will file organizing papers soon, though she did not name a target date. Among the groups represented at the Oakland meeting were the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the California Assn. for Bilingual Education and neutral observers such as the state Parent Teacher Assn. We feel that every student is entitled to equal access to all educational opportunities, and that includes access, if required, through primary language.
Teachers ought to have a full range of alternatives.
Unz, who aims to gather at least 650,000 voter signatures by Dec. 1 to qualify the measure for the ballot, said last week that he has not yet heard of a significant opposition movement. The former Republican candidate for governor is seeking an endorsement of his initiative at the GOP convention in Anaheim this weekend. The convention is expected to vote on the matter today. As the scramble for endorsements continues, the supporters of bilingual education have begun issuing critiques of the proposed initiative. Unz replies that the state Legislature has failed to do its job.