Court Rejects Appeal by Council Candidate

Astate appellate panel has rejected a Lancaster City Council candidate’s appeal of a judge’s decision that his name could not appear on a council election ballot because his residence was outside the city limits--even though his mailbox was in the city.

But the candidate, Los Angeles County firefighter Michael Singer, has moved into his mother-in-law’s house in Lancaster and plans to run as a write-in candidate.

City Clerk Carla Johnson said Thursday that Singer has filed the papers necessary to become a write-in candidate and that his new residence has been confirmed. His eligibility will become official after a routine check of his qualifying papers, she said.

After city officials refused to place him on the April 10 ballot, Singer argued before Lancaster Court Commissioner Victor Reichman last week that he had been assured by county election officials that he was an eligible candidate.

His attorney said that an appellate court once accepted a mailbox as a candidate’s residence and that his client, who is buying a home in the city, should not be faulted for the county’s error.

The commissioner, however, turned down Singer’s request for an order requiring the city to put him on the ballot. A two-judge panel of the state Court of Appeal agreed Wednesday, rejecting Singer’s request without comment.