On Monday April 4th, 2011 dozens of Tea Party members and anti-immigrant supporters gathered in Sacramento to hear California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly and Arizona Senator/SB 1070 author, Russell Pearce, introduce a new bill called AB 26. Donnelly and Pearce said they would go to the extreme to pass this racial profiling Arizona copycat law in California. Missing from the rally at the Capitol steps was a counter demonstration. Leaders within the Immigrant Rights’ movement decided not to give Donnelly or Pearce any more media attention.  AB 26 died quietly the next day in the California Assembly Judiciary Committee.

The prompt defeat of AB 26 was a hint of more defeats to come for both Donnelly and Pearce.  Tired of Senator Pearce’s politics of division and corruption, an army of volunteers led by organizer Randy Parraz called Citizens for a Better Arizona mounted a historic recall campaign successfully ousting Senator Pearce from power. This was the first time in the history of the United States a sitting Senate President was removed from office in this manner.

Meanwhile in California, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly found another opportunity to vamp for right wing radio. Immediately after Governor Jerry Brown signed the second part of the California Dream Act (AB 131) in October, Donnelly and his right-wing supporters began a ballot initiative campaign seeking to repeal the California Dream Act.  Donnelly told news media, “All we need is 504,000 valid signatures, and I think we’re probably going to get a million.” Target gift cards and professional signature gatherers managed to get a mere 447,514 signatures by the January 5, 2011 deadline.

The first week of 2012 proved a bad week in general for Assemblyman Donnelly. Earlier in the week, he was detained and cited for attempting to bring a loaded .45-caliber handgun and a spare magazine containing five rounds onto a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Ontario Airport. Days after he was cited, Donnelly claimed he had armed himself because of recent death threats resulting from his campaign to repeal the California Dream Act.  He has insisted he mistakenly placed the gun in his briefcase and forgot to retrieve it before boarding a flight to Sacramento.

There is a glaring inconsistency with Donnelly’s story. He failed to notify the office of the California Assembly Speaker or the Sergeant at arms about the alleged death threats.  If he had honestly felt there was a real threat he could have asked for, and received, additional security provided by the California Highway Patrol.

Donnelly has frequently stated he is a patriot who seeks to implement the “rule of law”.  It will be interesting to see if he continues to champion the “rule of law” as he stands before a judge who could sentence him to one year in jail.  Will he be as vocal about the “rule of law” with the Transportation Security Administration that could also levy a fine of up to $10,000?  My prediction is Donnelly “the patriot” will cower.—Pablo Rodriguez

Blog originally published January 18, 2012

Pablo Rodriguez is the Executive Director of Communities for a New California (CNC), a statewide civil rights advocacy organization. Prior to working with CNC Pablo has worked as a Public Policy Consultant as well as serving as Director of the Dolores Huerta Community Organizing Institute Pablo is committed to achieving public policy that is socially, economically, and environmentally just for California's families.