Aug. 28--A man accused of vandalizing a building in Beverly Hills and a freeway sign with anti-vaccination graffiti pleaded not guilty Friday to three felonies.
Marlon Brian Andrino, 28, of Ontario, was charged this month with three counts of vandalism for allegedly causing more than $400 in damage to property across Los Angeles County on July 2.
Andrino's messages condemned California's new mandatory vaccine law, SB 277, in various locations around the county.
Andrino allegedly scrawled "4 Every Kid Afflicted A Public Figure Will Die SB277" with black spray paint on freeway onramp signs, West Hollywood City Hall and the Beverly Hills Visitors' Center.
The legislation bars even religious and other personal-belief exemptions for schoolchildren's required immunizations.
Police traced the graffiti to Andrino, called him on the phone, and convinced him to surrender.
The graffiti in Beverly Hills was covered up after officials unsuccessfully tried to remove it from the chamber of commerce's facade, said Beverly Hills police Lt. Lincoln Hoshino.
Andrino faces up to four years and four months in jail if convicted.
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 277 into law this summer. The new law allows exemptions for schoolchildren only when a doctor "believes that circumstances -- in the judgment and sound discretion of the physician -- so warrant," Brown said in a statement announcing his approval of the bill.
The law's passage was met with disappointment by opponents, who contend it infringes on the right of parents to make decisions regarding their children's health.
"The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases," Brown said in the statement.
"While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community."
Los Angeles Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
UPDATES
2:35 p.m.: This article was updated to add that Marlon Brian Andrino had pleaded not guilty to the vandalism charges he is accused of.
The first version of this article was published 12:51 p.m.
