CLAIM OF FUNNY BUSINESS ON PETTITIONS + smf’s 2¢

by Hillel Aron in LA Schools Report | http://bit.ly/UXHVhZ

Posted on December 21, 2012Two LAUSD School Board candidates — school library aide Franny Parrish and 4LAKids blogger Scott Folsom – say they paid a man named James T. Law to gather signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.

The City clerk deemed too many of Folsom’s signatures invalid for him to qualify to be a candidate for District 2. As for Parrish, she says that Law never even delivered the signatures.

“It’s a sad story,” said Parrish, who was planning to run in the Westside’s District 4 against incumbent Steve Zimmer and Kate Anderson. “I would have given Kate a real good run for her money.”

Paying for signatures has become somewhat common. Parrish said she paid Law $2,100 for what was supposed to be 700 signatures. Candidates needed 500 valid signatures in order to get on the March ballot for school board member.

Both Parrish and Folsom are considering taking legal action against Law, who did not respond to our request for comment. Curiously, Law appears to be running for City Council in council district 15, which covers San Pedro. His signatures were deemed valid, according to the City Clerk’s website, and he has apparently qualified for that race.

There is no path forward for the two candidates to get on the ballot, although they can register as write-in candidates. The deadline to register as a write-in candidate is February 19, 2013.

 

smf:  I am unused to being quoted when I haven’t been interviewed.

There is enough truth here to perhaps to create the impression of fact – but I never said that I paid a man named James T. Law to gather signatures on my behalf.

I do like the little clipart illustration – it puts much of this into perspective.

This whole misadventure is curious. This sort of story about it is curiouser still.