Residents of San Francisco are now able to get ID cards independent of their citizenship:

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to issue municipal identification cards to city residents – regardless of whether they are in the country legally….

Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the ID card legislation, said the program is a smart public safety measure because it would make residents living on the social margins of San Francisco more likely to seek the help of police and could give them more access to banking services.

“People are afraid to report crimes,” Ammiano said, referring to illegal immigrants who avoid local law enforcement authorities over fear of being arrested or deported by federal immigration officials.

The city will consider ID cards legitimate forms of identification for municipal work, and major banks are expected to accept them as well. Ammiano pointed out that people without IDs and therefore unable to open bank accounts are exposed to higher risk of theft.