Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) is a non-profit California organization founded in 1986 which works to "preserve California's future through the stabilization of our state's human population." CAPS was the former branch of the Zero Population Growth (ZPG) organization. It supports "replacement-level" immigration, and does so "without regard to race, ethnicity, or national origin."
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Overview
Its aim is to help advance state policies and programs designed to stabilize the population at a level which they feel "will preserve a good quality of life for all Californians." It asserts that the current growth of population is "unsustainable," and contributes to a growing strain on the environment and infrastructure. CAPS is listed in the annual Conservation Directory, published by the National Wildlife Federation, as among the numerous organizations supporting conservation and preserving the natural environment in California.
Immigration
The high unemployment rate in California is one of CAPS's key worries. Dick Schneider, Chairman of the Board of CAPS, has stated that the national government is "admitting more new, legal immigrants every month than the number of new jobs our economy is creating." According to CAPS, more legal immigrants settle in California than any other state, despite having unemployment rates as high as 18% in some parts of the state.
CAPS is equally concerned with the cost of educating immigrants. They stated, "California cannot be expected to educate millions of children brought here by untold numbers of illegal aliens and millions of legal immigrants. Schools have reached the crisis point." The organization also supports work by groups such as "English First," whose 140,000 members oppose costly bilingual education.
The organization stresses its belief that both legal and illegal immigration are the cause of "California's runaway population growth." According to author Edward C. Hartman, CAPS is "determined to fill the gap created by the failure of conventional environmental organizations" that do not actively oppose population growth in America. The organization is unique in that many of its board members have held leadership positions in national environmental organizations. It relies on various sources to reach the public, including television and radio ads, public events with notable speakers, articles and commentaries, and at various speaking engagements. A CAPS-sponsored TV ad ran on MSNBC during the Republican presidential debate in September, 2011.
CAPS focuses on controlling population growth through immigration reduction, and does so by sponsoring public awareness campaigns, working with lawmakers on policy development, maintaining a large network of member-activists, and conducting vital research. In 1993, for instance, CAPS filed a lawsuit against Hewlett Packard alleging that HP was violating California labor laws and paid residents of India who came to the U.S. below-market wages as contract programmers. The lawsuit was first publicized on CBS's "60 Minutes," and CAPS claimed that such wage practices would drive down wages for U.S. workers. CAPS ultimately lost the lawsuit.