PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale filed a notice of appeal this week on the Final Statement of Decision in the voting rights lawsuit, which now stays the Final Statement issued on Dec. 23 and means that there will not be district elections in Palmdale in June.
“This is actually our second appeal in the voting rights case,” said City Attorney Matthew Ditzhazy. “What we filed [Wednesday] is an appeal of Judge Mooney’s Final Order which permanently enjoins at-large elections, prematurely terminates the terms of the existing councilmembers, and orders a district-based election on June 3,” Ditzhazy said. “Our appeal puts everything on hold until the Court of Appeals can rule on it, which means there will be no Palmdale election in June.”
“The first appeal was filed in November and it dealt primarily with the certification of our November elections and with why the trial court’s temporary injunction was improper,” Ditzhazy continued. “At that election, Frederick Thompson was elected to Council along with Tom Lackey who was re-elected for his third term. Jim Ledford was re-elected Mayor for his 11th term. We are waiting for the Court of Appeals to allow the City to certify that election so we can swear in our duly elected Council.”
Thompson, a retired community college dean who formerly served on the Palmdale Planning Commission and Palmdale School District board, became the first African-American to win a City Council seat, but not the first minority candidate, to win a Citywide election.
“It’s ironic, and frankly sad, that the plaintiffs’ attempts to stop the city’s at-large election has resulted in preventing an African-American from holding office,” said Deputy City Attorney Noel Doran. “A year ago, the plaintiffs trumpeted Mr. Thompson’s prior inability to get elected to the City Council as evidence that Latinos and African-Americans lacked access to the political process. Now that he’s been elected, they question whether or not he was the minority ‘candidate of choice.’”
“We will continue to work toward protecting our citizens’ constitutional right to determine the manner and method of electing their city leaders,” said Doran.
(Information via press release from the city of Palmdale.)
Previous related stories:
Palmdale to appeal recent decision on voting rights lawsuit
Next Step for Palmdale municipal election: Certification
Appellate court clears way for Palmdale city council election
Palmdale to appeal judge’s decision to cancel council election
Shenkman/Parris file injunction to halt Palmdale election
Son of the Anti Rex says
rex makes gordon gekko look like mother theresa. greedy, twisted, deceptive, untruthful, selfish, uncaring, heinous. rex beats gekko hands down.
William says
Well, I hope you’ve learned a lesson. The next time a politician says “We’re building a Christian community”, run for the hills.
Son of the Anti Rex says
william, i beg to differ. jesus was not greedy, twisted, deceptive, untruthful, selfish, uncaring or heinous. if a christian community were to be built on love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control everyone would sign up. rex is incapable of building such a community because he is greedy, twisted, deceptive, untruthful, selfish, uncaring and heinous.
William says
Son of the Anti-Rex,
You mean Rex is a LIAR! Perish the thought.
And, just who are the ‘Christians’ that voted for him? Is there another ‘Christ’ with a different first name they are referring to?
William says
And, yet, Rex can’t buy the love and respect that Mayor Lefdord has enjoyed for over 20 years even though he isn’t rich and even if he were, he wouldn’t brag about it like Rex does.
What was that about judging a man by ‘the content of his character’? Well, Rex fails that test and folks are getting wise to him.
America is supposed to be a classless society. Well, Rex certainly has no class and never will.
Doc Rivers says
Rex Parris is so into the payday he even advertises it on our local buses. So Parris thinks we do not see him as a money grubbing lowlife? We do!!!!!!