Former Inland assemblyman and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly has filed paperwork asking for a voter referendum on the vaccine bill signed into law this week.

Donnelly, a conservative Republican who represented part of San Bernardino County from 2010 to 2014, filed the papers with the state attorney general’s office Wednesday, July 1.

The bill, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday, removes California’s personal belief exemption for immunizations, a move that requires nearly all public schoolchildren to be vaccinated.

The legislation, which makes California the third state in the nation with such strict vaccination standards, takes effect next year.

In a news release, Donnelly, currently a radio talk-show host, said the referendum is about defending the freedom of parents to make “informed decisions for their children without being unduly penalized by a government that believes it knows best.”

Donnelly’s statement rapped the governor for signing the bill requiring schoolchildren to be vaccinated unless a doctor excuses them for medical reasons.

“For the vast majority, this is not an issue,” the statement said, “but for those who are concerned about the inherent risks of an ever increasing schedule of vaccinations, or who themselves or their children have suffered severe reactions, up to and including death, having the freedom to opt out is everything.”

The bill’s supporters argue it will limit future outbreaks of preventable diseases, such as the measles outbreak that started in Disneyland last December.

“The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infections and dangerous diseases,” Brown wrote in a message to state senators. “While it’s true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community.”

The attorney general’s office has yet to receive any other petitions for a vaccine bill referendum, a spokeswoman said. As the next step in the process, the office is expected to deliver a title and summary for the proposed referendum by July 13.

Referendum organizers have 90 days to collect valid signatures from at least 365,880 registered voters in California — equal to 5 percent of votes cast for all candidates in the last election for governor — to get their measure on the 2016 ballot, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

Two-thirds of Californians support the vaccine bill, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released last month.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pe.com