Effort To Repeal Dream Act Falls Short

A local effort to repeal the California Dream Act has failed.

The Stop AB 131 campaign spearheaded by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) has failed to garner enough petition signatures to qualify the referendum for the November 2012 ballot, it is being announced via an outgoing message on the campaign’s voice answering system.

Signatures were counted by campaigners, and according to the message the number fell short by more than 57,000 signatures.

The campaign needed nearly 505,000 signatures but only received 447,514, according to the message.

The number was “simply not enough for us to proceed,” the message stated.

In the message, the campaign vows to continue the fight. “We are not finished …,” it stated.

The campaign had until today to get the signatures counted and submitted to the County Registrar of Voters.

who serves as an aid to Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Vista), and had been aiding Donnelly’s efforts by working to gather signatures.

In response to the referendum’s failure, Dream Act author Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) issued a statement today.

“I am elated that the voters did not provide sufficient signatures to repeal the California Dream Act. The lesson is clear. California is a state that leads our nation forward not backwards. We are a state that prides itself on reconciling our differences rather than exacerbating them. We know that our economy needs an educated workforce rather than a workforce that cannot compete in this complex global world. Assemblymember Donnelly’s proposal would have taken us in a very negative, destructive and intentionally divisive direction. Like the students that the California Dream Act will help, the voters of California have chosen to look with optimism towards the future,” he stated.

The California Dream Act was introduced as two bills in 2011: AB 130 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on July 25; it allows undocumented students to apply for non-state-funded scholarships. AB 131, which was signed by the governor on October 9, allows undocumented students to apply for public financial aid to attend California public colleges and universities.

In order to qualify for the scholarships and aid, students must attend a California high school for a minimum of three years and they must graduate here. They also have to show they are in the process of applying to legalize their immigration status, and they have to demonstrate financial need and meet academic standards.

The California State University and the University of California systems, as well as the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, have supported the Dream Act.

The announcement that the Stop AB 131 campaign had failed to garner sufficient signatures falls on the heels of news this week that

After Donnelly was cited at the airport, TSA spokesman Nico Melendez explained, “The firearm was loaded with four rounds and there was a spare magazine with five rounds. There was no permit to carry a concealed weapon.”

Despite attempting to board the flight with the non-permitted concealed weapon and spare ammunition, the local conservative lawmaker was not placed in custody. However, he is due in court and is reportedly facing fines and jail time if convicted.