Political Blotter: Former challenger praises Brown for DNA law

This is a sampling from Bay Area News Group's Political Blotter blog. Read more and post comments at http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics.

Sept. 23

Somebody note the date and time: Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, the conservative former gubernatorial candidate who spent much of the spring trashing Gov. Jerry Brown, just said something nice about ... Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown on Friday signed Donnelly's AB 1697, the DNA Protection Act, which prohibits using the state's criminal-justice DNA database from being used as a source of material for testing, research or experiments by any person, agency or entity seeking to find a causal link between genetics and behavior or health.

"I would like to thank Governor Brown for standing with me once again to defend the civil liberties of all Californians," Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said in a news release. "California will continue to use DNA samples for forensics, missing persons, collecting evidence or other legal means. With AB1697 now law, we have prevented government from abusing our privacy. We have protected the civil rights of all Californians from this high tech tyranny."

Donnelly said the new law is critical to protecting those who've been arrested from the government's genetic snooping.

"Currently, the government of California has hoarded over 1.8 million DNA samples," he said. "As the cost of DNA sequencing decreases and the ability to process large amounts of data increases, the state has the unprecedented ability to link genetics with criminal activity. While this may sound like the movie 'Minority Report,' it is no longer science fiction. Thanks to AB1697 becoming law, the DNA of every Californian will be safe from being violated by an ever-intrusive government."

The bill certainly wasn't controversial. The Assembly passed it 78-0, and the state Senate passed it 33-0.

Sept. 24

A national marijuana advocacy group is filing papers with the secretary of state's office Wednesday to form a committee in support of a 2016 ballot measure for recreational legalization.

Original post:
Political Blotter: Former challenger praises Brown for DNA law