Madera school board election nullified before the vote

Los Angeles Times ^ | September 25, 2008 | Mitchell Landsberg

[Haddit]

A judge in Central California has taken the unusual step of tossing out, in advance, the results of an upcoming school board election after finding that it violated the terms of the California Voting Rights Act.

[Haddit]

The Lawyers Committee sued the school district in August, complaining that although 82% of its 18,500 students are Latino, only one Latino sits on the seven-member school board, and only one other Latino has served on the board in the last 25 years. Since 1996, Rubin said, Latinos have run for school board eight times, but in all but one case have been defeated by what he called "Anglo bloc voting."

Because many Latinos are not citizens or are too young to vote, only 44% of Madera's eligible voting population is Latino, giving whites a majority. Rubin said his group favors a system of voting districts that would include at least three with Latino majorities.

[calex59]

Oh, yeah, no bias there. The people you want to be elected don’t win so you go to a judge and have them invalidate the vote before people even voted. What a crock. This is just a school board but if it is done at that level it can be carried upstream to other elections!

[MindBender26]

But now we can reserve a seat for the Left-Handed Latinos, the Jewish Latinos, the Gay Latinos, the Elderly Latinos, the HIV-positive Latinos, the Swedish-American Latinos, etc.

[MindBender26]

But now we can reserve a seat for the Left-Handed Latinos, the Jewish Latinos, the Gay Latinos, the Elderly Latinos, the HIV-positive Latinos, the Swedish-American Latinos, etc.

[Haddit]

Unbelievable, from the school board to the city counsel, to the mayor, to the senators and congressmen, to the governor, to judges, and to the presidential candidates, they are all for OTAs (Other Than Americans).

[JZelle]

We’re a third world country now.

[TightyRighty]

I grew up in Madera. Although I shouldn’t be, I am amazed at how the city officials have run that city into the ground. It looks like a border city. Downtown looks like a Mexican slum - it’s pathetic. This doesn’t surprise me one bit.

[Rushgrrl]

You are absolutely right! I’m in Fresno and currently live in Coarsegold - having to either go through Madera when traveling, or for sports games or for job interviews, there is not ONE area of that town that doesn’t look like you’ve crossed the border - it’s ridiculous.

This entire business with the courts intervening due to this reason is just another notch. It’s one more step in the overall dumbing-down of society as a whole, lower-your-standards-to-raise-your-average mentality and I’m getting pretty dang sick of it. It’s all over the place here. So what - they’re going to break it up into voting districts? So you’ll now have to have a Spanish interpreter present during all school board meetings? Fabulos-o! That’s just freakin’ fantastic. Again...let’s change the rules so those who can’t compete really can now so they’ll feel better about themselves. Yay. And come ON - they’re either illegal or they’re under 18? Does that tell anyone ANYTHING at ALL?

Frankly, I get upset at just the pushing of everyone to speak spanish all the time, instead of requiring those to ASSIMILATE...nevermind the high amount of those who aren’t really supposed to be here at all, but that’s another thing entirely. I have a lot of Hispanic friends and workmates who all feel the same way, which is very interesting to hear. They moved here for a reason, not so they can replicate what they left but to move on to a better life. It’s sad.
Mexifornia - here we come. I hope y’all like burros and churros.