The City's Shame
The Times follows up on the Arellano story:
The only question City Council should ask itself this morning is, how is democracy served by an election in which one candidate has withdrawn from the race?
If they're confused by that, a good followup question might be, how is democracy served by the advice of a handful of attorneys who also happen to answer to the Mayor?
Council members who endorsed either candidate should recuse themselves from this resolution, forcing the City Clerk to come up with a better one.
If someone were resigning from school board, they would have an election to fill the seat. With someone resigning from the race, it seems appropriate to have a sincere election, not a rubber stamping of a candidate who represents a rubber stamp to the Mayor.
Arellano faxed a letter Thursday to Martinez, formally notifying the city that he no longer wanted to be on the ballot. But by then, lawyers had come to a conclusion.
"They have opined that he cannot withdraw from the ballot at this point," Martinez said. "That is the position we will take when we go" to the City Council.
The council is expected to vote today on a resolution that would certify Garcia and Arellano as the runoff candidates and authorize Martinez to submit their names to county election officials.
The only question City Council should ask itself this morning is, how is democracy served by an election in which one candidate has withdrawn from the race?
If they're confused by that, a good followup question might be, how is democracy served by the advice of a handful of attorneys who also happen to answer to the Mayor?
Council members who endorsed either candidate should recuse themselves from this resolution, forcing the City Clerk to come up with a better one.
If someone were resigning from school board, they would have an election to fill the seat. With someone resigning from the race, it seems appropriate to have a sincere election, not a rubber stamping of a candidate who represents a rubber stamp to the Mayor.
Posted by Joseph Mailander @ 3/17/2006 07:42:00 AM
14 Comments:
You cannot resign from a race. You can only resign from office. The portion of the law that deals metions "resign" was meant to deal with incumbents (i.e., officeholder), not non-office holders.
And, the law is the law, and the election should be held.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I wonder how much money we taxpayers will be charged for this "election."
ARELLANO'S FUCKING LIES STILL ON HIS WEBSITE
"He is a longtime resident of the district who struggled to earn a Masters of Social Work and a Public Planning degree from USC."
By staying in the race, the only thing Arellano will win is jail time. If he insists on keeping himself in the news,our local scribes will spring back into action, with more FACTS about this pathological fibber. The couple of lies reported on thus far are just the tip of the iceberg...
Walter - it's consolidated, so it won't cost any more than just conducting the primaries at that time.
By the way, please tell me you aren't one of those Howard Jarvis guys...
Ha, How is democracy bieng exercised??? you ask? Well lets take that back to where it all started, if you recall there were about five people on the ballot and the people voted for the top two if there was no out right top vote getter. So now, one of the two run off candidates decides to quite the race. Democracy was served. By trying to get the one that quits the race to not quit, we are placing democracy in jeapardy by mimicking the actions of third world countires now ruled by puppet dictators serving the interest of outside influence, hint. the way I see it, not only was democracy served, but justice as well. Here we have an out right liar whos platform was filled with deciet and deception and now the "people" are asking for him to get back into it. Sorry, you quit and throw in the towel, thats it. save taxpayer money call it a day. If anything have the election with the general and save SOME taxpayer money. Democracy was served and pityful that so few came out to vote.
"The validity of the government is dependant upon the participation of its people"
Write in Walter Moore.
1. Matt, thank you! I forgot there was anything else going on election-wise in June, if you can believe that!
2. As for Anon at 9:03, maybe Arellano thinks he's being clever? "Stuggled to earn" is not the same as "earned." You can "struggle to fly, using nothing but two ironing boards covered with feathers." It doesn't mean you ever actually flew. But I'm going with your analyis: the guy's a liar and a thief.
3. Erin go bragh.
To Anon at 9:50 a.m.: you make a good point, but query how "democracy is served" by putting a candidate into office when a majory voted for someone else.
Perhaps we need to switch to one of those "instant run-off" voting systems where you vote for your first, second and third choices at the same time. I'd have to look at the game theory ramifications, but it's worth considering.
LOL 10:28. Let me pass my CSET before I run for the school board!
Please those moron city council members don't do shit in chambers, are a waste of our tax dollars and now they want to pretend they are going to be fair and balanced when deciding even though we all know they are nothing but a bunch of kiss asses to Antonio and suck up to him any chance they get?? LA has no leadership with these loser politicans. This is what the city gets for not standing up for itself. Too bad the voters are just too lazy to care and do something about it.
Speaking of write-in campaigns, perhaps the Teachers' Union should focus, right now, this minute on: i) getting a refund, if legally possible, of any unspent contributions; and ii) putting together a write-in campaign for one of their own. The voter turn-out was so small in Round 1, they just might pull it off.
Re: write in... not a chance. Voter turnout will be whoever plans to vote in the primary for the governor's seat.
anon 1056: that's an awfully big system you've got to rail against there to get your way in a school board race... I hope at least that you live in the district!
Walter, I think IRV is great, though I don't think the city has that on the table right now (as it does with clean money), right?
I have heard that Dario Frommer got out of the Controllers race because he failed to get enough signatures?
has any one else heard this?
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