SIMI VALLEY : Stratton Files Appeal Over Ballot Ruling
Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton filed an appeal Thursday with the California Supreme Court asking it to overturn a judge’s decision to remove his name from the June 7 ballot as a candidate for county auditor-controller.
“I don’t think it’s over until it’s over,” Stratton said, adding that he hoped the high court would have a decision today.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge William Peck ruled Monday that Stratton’s master’s degree in business administration from Cal Lutheran University does not qualify him for the auditor’s job because the degree was not earned at an accounting school. William Baker, a certified public accountant and one of five other candidates for auditor-controller, filed a lawsuit challenging Stratton’s qualifications.
On Wednesday, the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Ventura upheld Peck’s ruling, prompting Stratton to take his case to the state Supreme Court.
Local election officials are anxious for a decision by the state Supreme Court. The county must start printing sample ballots by Monday to meet a state mandated deadline for mailing sample ballots to voters, officials said.
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