SACRAMENTO, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- A petition to repeal a California law allowing undocumented immigrants access to taxpayer-funded scholarships, failed to get enough signatures, its backers say.
An drive to place repeal of the California Dream Act on the state ballot came up short -- netting 447,514 of the required 500,000 signatures required to present to the secretary of state by the Friday deadline, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"This is disappointing news," said the public face of the petition drive, San Bernardino Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly.
"It is no less of a warning to Gov. Brown, and every [Democratic] legislator who voted to create a new entitlement program for illegals while the state still has a budget deficit over $9 billion, and cannot even meet it's obligation to legal California students," Donnelly said.
Brown signed a bill into law in October, making government financial aid available for a "limited pool of students" who are undocumented. The governor's office said the decision to sign AB 131 -- which, together with another new state law forms what officials call the California Dream Act.
