South Gate Advisory Measures to Stay on Ballot

The City Council has failed in an attempt to have two advisory measures removed from the June 5 ballot.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Zebrowski on Tuesday rejected the council’s effort to force the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office to remove the measures.

The council asked the registrar-recorder’s office on April 24 to take the measures off the ballot, but election officials said the request came too late because sample ballots had already been printed.

Mayor Robert A. Philipp said after the judge’s ruling that the council would drop its efforts.

Two veteran councilmen and three newly elected City Council members voted unanimously April 23 to seek removal of the advisory ballot measures, which had been approved by a majority of council members before the April 10 municipal election.

Philipp said the new council was concerned about the impact of a vote on the ballot measures, even though they are only advisory. “It may not be legally binding but it could be politically binding,” Philipp said.

One measure asks voters whether they would approve of developing 7.1 acres of vacant city land into an auto sales lot. The other measure asks whether they would favor providing loans to local metal-fabricating companies.

Philipp and Councilman Gregory Slaughter split with the old council majority over the issue of placing the measures on the June ballot. Mayor Herbert W. Cranton, who was defeated in the Apri1 10 election, and council members Odell L. Snavely and William H. DeWitt voted to put the measures on the ballot, even though both issues were moot. Snavely and DeWitt did not seek reelection.

Automobile dealer Pete Ellis had withdrawn plans to develop an auto sales lot on the vacant land after residents of a nearby mobile home park protested. Additionally, Shultz Steel officials had withdrawn their request for a $2-million loan from the city to pay for plant construction.