While Washington dithers on comprehensive immigration reform, California is quietly moving forward. During the session, the Legislature passed multiple bills that reflect how important undocumented immigrants have already become to our society - and how important it is to find ways to help them integrate smoothly.

Some of the new legislation is likely to be controversial in different communities and parts of the state. But as a whole, the bills show how far California has come on the question of illegal immigration - and how the majority of Californians understand that immigrants, no matter their status, deserve the opportunity to contribute.

AB60, authored by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, was passed by the Legislature and is expected to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Originally, it would have provided driver's licenses to immigrants who could show that they pay taxes or have other proof of work. Now it offers more flexibility to the Department of Motor Vehicles to decide the question of eligibility, but it's expected to create a significant expansion in the number of undocumented immigrants who have driver's licenses.

The licenses will have a special notation on them to denote "driver's privilege" rather than "driver's license," as a way to rule out eligibility for public benefits and a nod to the fact that this is still a contentious issue. But it's also a practical matter for the millions of people who are already driving on our streets - they need licenses for critical basic activities, and the rest of us need to know that they are driving safely.

Another bill will only affect a very small part of the undocumented immigrant community - but it points to how pitifully long it's taken Congress to create a path to citizenship for the millions of people who are already living and working within our borders.

AB1024, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, will allow undocumented immigrants to obtain law licenses from the state, should they pass all of the relevant tests and screenings. The bill followed the much-publicized case of Sergio Garcia, who was brought to this country illegally as a child. Garcia, who is still awaiting a green card, has earned college and law degrees and had passed the state bar exam - but hadn't been allowed to get his license. In a mixed ruling, the California Supreme Court suggested that the Legislature could address such cases - and now it has.

Finally, California legislators passed a bill to allow legal immigrants to serve on juries in California. While this bill doesn't directly tackle the issue of illegal immigration, it's an answer to the eternal limbo of waiting for citizenship in which even legal immigrants find themselves. It's also a reflection of the fact that California's demographics have changed dramatically over the past several decades - and that the idea of a "jury of our peers" should reflect that.

While we believe that jury duty should be a privilege and duty of citizenship, we understand the Legislature's impatience with the federal government when it comes to providing people a way to be citizens, no matter how they came to this country.