Tim Donnelly

Candidate Biography:

Timothy Michael Donnelly
Born: May 8, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia
Married: Rowena Donnelly
Children: Shaun, Ryan, David Michael, Daniel, Gregg

2006: Founder, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of California
2011: Proponent, Initiative 1511 [Referendum to Overturn State Financial Aid for Undocumented Students.] (Failed to Qualify)
2013: Proponent of the Recall of Senators Norma Torres and Ben Hueso and Assemblywomen Lorena Gonzalez, Sharon Quirk-Silva and Speaker John A. Pérez (All Five Recalls Failed to Qualify)
2014: Primary Candidate for Governor (Lost; 14.8%)
2015: Early Candidate for SD-21 Special Election (Declined to Run)
2015: Proponent, Initiative 1693 [Referendum to Allow Personal Belief Exemption from Mandatory Immunization Program for Schoolchildren] (Failed to Qualify)
2016: Primary Candidate for CD-08 (Lost; 20.7%)
2020: Primary Candidate for CD-08 (Lost; 20.8%)

• CLOSE CONTEST: Donnelly narrowly lost a spot in the 2016 General election when Rita Ramirez-Dean defeated him by 1,022 votes (0.9%).
• Legal Troubles: In January 2012, Donnelly was cited for posession of a firearm after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents discovered a .45 caliber Colt Mark IV (with four rounds in the magazine and a spare magazine with five additional rounds) in Donnelly's carry-on bag as he passed through the TSA checkpoint at LA/Ontario International Airport. In February, he charged with two misdemeanors; carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and possession of a prohibited item in "an airport sterile area". In March 2012, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years of probation and a $2,215 fine. The firearm, was registered to Barbara Edith Burbeck, who said she had sold it more than a decade before. Donnelly claimed to have purchased it five years but no record of that transaction was found. An interesting note is that the TSA spokesperson who spoke to press about the incident was Nico Melendez (husband of Melissa Melendez).
• TSA BLOG: Donnelly's was the 8th of what would eventually be 1,556 firearms discovered in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints nationally in 2012. [Source]
• AUTHOR: Donnelly is the author of Patriot Not Politician: Win or Go Homeless (2016).
• LEGISLATION: Donnelly's airport gun incident prompted Norma Torres to introduce AB 2182 (2012), which would “require formal arrest for illegally carrying a concealed firearm into an airport. Upon conviction, offenders would be permanently banned from the airport where the crime occurred.” The bill died in the Senate.
• NOTABLE NO VOTE (Revenge Porn): Donnelly was the only legislator who voted against SB 255 (2013), which makes it a crime to distribute "revenge porn", distributing private images with the intent to harass or annoy.
• NOTABLE NO VOTE (Confederate Flag): Donnelly was the sole Assemblyman (and one of three legislators overall) who voted against AB 2444 (2014) by Isadore Hall, which prohibited the State of California from selling or displaying the Battle Flag of the Confederacy (with minor exceptions).
• Lyrical Reference: Donnelly was referenced in the 2012 song "P" by Odd Future. The lyrics, referencing Donnelly's airport legal issues, read; "I'm headed out to Sydney Australia with Tim Donnelly; He gets caught up at security, the TSA don't follow me..." [Rolling Stone]
• Bills: During his time in the Legislature, Donnelly introduced 71 regular session bills, of which 6 were signed into law.

Source: Biography page on Assemblyman Donnelly's website (accessed 6/30/2011)
Source: "New lawmaker bucks rules, releases meeting records" by Juliet Williams, Associated Press (9/7/2011)
Source: "California lawmakers inch toward more openness in their daily schedules" by Karen de Sá (9/7/2011)
Source: California Legislature Handbook (2011-12)
Source: "Assemblyman Tim Donnelly tries to carry loaded handgun on airplane" by Jim Sanders, Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert (1/4/2012)
Source: "Donnelly gets fine, probation after no-contest plea to gun charges" by Jim Sanders, Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert (3/26/2012)
Source: "The O.F Tape Volume 2" by By Jody Rosen, Rolling Stone Magazine (3/22/2012)