(born 1933) Elected governor of California in 1990 and reelected in 1994, Wilson supported tough welfare reform and anti-crime measures. He gained national attention in 1994 with his backing of Proposition 187, a California referendum approved by the state’s voters that prohibited illegal immigrants from receiving public education and other social services. Wilson also opposed affirmative action. He supported a successful 1996 California initiative, Proposition 209, that banned racial and gender preferences in state and local public programs, including college admissions. Wilson was mayor of San Diego from 1971 until 1983, when he became a United States senator.