Do some of you ever stop to think of this issue in a non-utilitarian way? I mean, a person's worth is not how much monetary value he can create per annum. If we were to go down that path, we can justify creating a semi-utopian society that discards, rejects, and deems worthless anyone who does not qualify according to a preconceived set of standards. Such thinking can lead to horrific pogroms. This, I believe, is the liberals' reason for supporting illegal "aliens".
Noble in thought, but deleterious to the society. This dichotomy between self and selflessness, sometimes to the point of absolute idiocy, is the fundamental rift between "left" and "right".
We, as humans, are far too comfortable making justifications for unjust actions so long as it affects "others".
Yet, a nation, or rather, the government of a nation, is responsible for protecting the interests, both tangible and otherwise, of its citizens, whatever the definition may be. Thus, supporting illegal immigrants, no matter how poignant their individual stories may be, is foolhardy and highly detrimental to the citizens' interests in the long run.
People who come here through legal channels to create a better life for themselves and their kin are always welcome; at least, that is what America has been about for the past 200+ years. It is the fundamental reason America is economically so far ahead of every other nation. We, as American citizens, must never lose that quality; inviting with open arms the talent of the world. It is highly disheartening, however, that some people, whose ancestors not so long ago, came here "illegally", are so taken up with jingoism and ready to put up barricades for not only illegal immigrants, but legal, resourceful, and highly valuable immigrants for petty reasons such as race, religion, and culture. It is a dangerous line to tow and I hope common sense will prevail in the long run.
Getting back to the OP's point, California does spend an enormous amount of resources on illegal immigrants and services for them. It is a slap in the face for the citizens and legal immigrants of the state whose hard-earned money is spent like water on services where they see no direct benefit. The tax evasion by illegals is also in the billions and so the disparity, although hard to pinpoint, is highly skewed.
As some others have suggested, California's public schools suffer because of the illegal immigrants as well. As harsh as it sounds, their children, whose mother tongue is not English, find it difficult to cope up with the academics in school and so lag far behind other students causing a ripple effect in the whole system.
Illegals also can get driving licenses in CA! It is preposterous but it is too late IMO. Any attempt at corrective legislation will backfire tremendously and politicians, who are perennial opportunists, will hardly take up the cause publicly.
The next few decades will be quite interesting to say the least.