Politics & Government

Conservative Inland Empire Lawmaker Running For Governor Of California

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly will be the guest of honor Nov. 1 during the Murrieta-Temecula Republican Assembly monthly meeting at the Temecula Civic Center Conference Room.

If you want to hear why Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R) is making a run for the governor’s seat, you’ll get your chance Friday.

Donnelly will be the guest of honor Nov. 1 during the Murrieta-Temecula Republican Assembly monthly meeting at the Temecula Civic Center Conference Room.

Candidate Donnelly will speak to the group and take questions about his campaign and his goal to become California Governor in 2014. The public is invited to attend.

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Donnelly, who calls himself a patriot -- not a politician -- has been a headline maker. On his list of accomplishments posted on his campaign website is his founding of the "largest" Minuteman chapter in California. The Minuteman Project is a controversial "citizens' Neighborhood Watch" on the Mexican-American border. Supporters say the group is doing a good job keeping people from crossing into this country illegally, while detractors claim the Minuteman Project operates as a group of vigilantes.

In 2010, Donnelly was elected to the state Assembly and is now representing the 33rd District in San Bernardino County. During his tenure, he led the fight to repeal the California Dream Act, but to-date has been unsuccessful in rolling back the law. 

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The assemblyman's also stated he wants to see Obamacare declared unconstitutional.

Donnelly gained attention when he worked on the California Liberty Preservation Act, which criminalizes attempts to indefinitely detain American citizens in California without trial. That bill was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, Oct. 1, 2013.

Donnelly was also the subject of heavy criticism when in January 2012 he was nabbed by Ontario Airport police for having a loaded firearm in his carryon luggage without a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The assemblyman pleaded no contest to the crime and was sentenced to probation and fines.

In a released statement, Donnelly called the incident an “innocent and honest mistake.”

On his campaign website, Donnelly fires on Democrats, who he claims are restricting gun rights.

Donnelly was outraged in August when AB 1266 was signed into law. That legislation requires that K-12 children be “permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

Following the bill’s passage, Donnelly was quoted as saying one of his sons would be leaving public school because of the new law. 

“My 13- and 16-year-old boys were horrified at the idea of sharing a bathroom and locker room with a member of the opposite sex, after having discussed AB 1266 with them. While trying to address a concern of less than 2 percent of the population, California is now forcibly violating the rights of the other 98 percent," Donnelly wrote on the website WND.

On the issue of energy and the environment, Donnelly claims “zealot environmentalists” have prohibited oil exploration in many areas and have imposed “costly energy mandates and cap-and-trade schemes.”

For those interested in asking Donnelly questions about these issues and others, MTRA president Nico Melendez says the Nov. 1 event is filling quickly. The dinner meeting and check in begins at 6 p.m. with the Donnelly forum expected to get underway at 7 p.m.

Members of the public are welcome to attend at a cost of $20. Students under 25 pay $10.

The Temecula Civic Center is located at 41000 Main Street, Temecula.

Email Namelendez@gmail.com to RSVP.


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