Local News in Brief : City Appeals to Drop Kayser From Ballot

In an ongoing battle with City Council candidate Bennett Kayser, the city of Los Angeles has gone to court in an effort to remove his name from the April 11 municipal primary ballot.

Assistant City Atty. Anthony Saul Alperin on Thursday asked the state Court of Appeal to throw out a Superior Court ruling last week requiring the city to add Kayser’s name to the ballot. Alperin asked the appellate court to rule on the matter as quickly as possible, but he said no date has been set.

Kayser, one of four candidates challenging Hollywood-area Councilman Michael Woo, failed to qualify for the ballot in February because the city clerk’s office said he did not collect enough valid signatures. Kayser claimed that about 100 signatures had been improperly rejected, challenged the city clerk’s ruling in Superior Court and won.

Based on the Superior Court order, the city clerk’s office has printed sample ballots and ballot pages for the 13th District with Kayser’s name. The sample ballots are scheduled to be mailed to voters on Tuesday. A spokesman for the clerk’s office said it would cost $9,100 to reprint the materials if the Court of Appeal rules in the city’s favor.