Opponents of a law that would ban personal belief exemptions for school-required childhood vaccines held a meeting last week at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center to discuss the issue and collect signatures for a referendum meant to put that law on the November 2016 ballot. Filed by former state Republican Assembly member Tim Donnelly in July, the referendum marks the first step in opponents’ efforts to repeal Senate Bill 277, which was authored by pediatrician-turned-politician Richard Pan and signed into law on June 30. Passed in the wake of a December measles outbreak, the law would make it illegal as of next July for parents to opt their children out of vaccines—such as those for polio and measles—that are a requirement to attend schools in the state. The only exception is for medical reasons vetted by a physician. The referendum requires at least 365,000 signatures by Sept. 28. Hosted by a group called the Marin Families for SB277 Referendum, the meeting’s organizers fielded questions and concerns from around 30 attendees, many of whom viewed the law as a violation of parental rights. Numerous attendees live in the valley, where one of two local elementary schools—San Geronimo Elementary—has one of the state’s highest personal belief exemption rates. Over half of kindergarteners had opt-outs on file there last year. “[Parents] lose control of the vaccine schedule with this mandate,” said Kate Hart, of Inverness. “It’s a civil rights issue.” The group is tentatively scheduled to hold another meeting to raise signatures and give a lecture on natural immunity Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Dance Palace from 7 to 9 p.m.