Thread: AM Alert: Measure to block California Dream Act faces deadline, FAILS

sacbee.com
Posted by Micaela Massimino
6:00 AM January 6, 2012


Today's one of the days Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has been dreaming of -- it's the signature deadline for his referendum to overturn the California Dream Act.



That's the ballot proposal to block the new law allowing some undocumented immigrants to qualify for state-funded college aid. Proponents must submit 504,760 valid voter signatures to county election officials by today in order to qualify the measure for the ballot.


Alert readers will recall that Donnelly told reporters Wednesday, after he was cited for having a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at the Ontario airport, that he "tends to always be armed" because of death threats he said he has received since launching the referendum.


(The Twin Peaks Republican also told John Oliver of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" in an episode that ran last month about California's direct democracy and the Amazon tax, "Oh, I can tie anything to illegal immigration.")


In legal news, the shoplifting case of Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi is on the docket this morning in San Francisco Superior Court. The Castro Valley Democrat is not expected to make an appearance.


Sunday, meanwhile, marks the one-year anniversary of the shootings in Tucson that killed six and wounded 13 others, including Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.


The Brady Campaign is planning vigils nationwide to mark the date, including events in Compton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other California cities.


Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, both Sacramento Democrats, are expected to take part in a bell ceremony and candlelight vigil from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday at St. John's Lutheran Church, 1701 L St.., down the street from the Capitol in Sacramento.


PHOTO CREDIT: Assemblyman Tim Donnelly waits for the opening of the legislative session in Sacramento, on Jan. 4, 2012. Paul Kitagaki Jr./ Sacramento Bee

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sacbee.com
Posted by Jim Sanders
8:50 AM January 6, 2012

Opponents of California's Dream Act have failed in a signature-gathering drive aimed at overturning the new law that will permit some undocumented immigrants to receive publicly funded college aid.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly informed supporters of the referendum drive through a written statement today that the effort had failed.

The campaign collected 447,514 signatures, not the required 504,760 valid voter signatures required to place the matter before voters, Donnelly said.

. "This is disappointing news, but it is no less of a warning to Governor Brown and every Democrat legislator who voted to create a new entitlement program for illegals while the state still has a budget deficit of over $9 billion, and cannot even meet its obligation to legal California students."

Donnelly said the referendum drive's effort was not in vain because it brought together Californians of every age, race, religion, income and political party to fight "to restore sanity to the Golden State."

"Today only marks the end of one battle in a war to reclaim our voice in our Legislature," he said. "This one loss will not dampen our resolve."

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