Supreme Court Agrees, Stratton Is Out of Election : Appeal: Justices uphold previous ruling that the Simi Valley mayor lacks the legal qualifications to run for auditor-controller on the June 7 ballot.

The state Supreme Court on Monday denied Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton’s request to get his name restored on the June 7 ballot for Ventura County auditor-controller, removing one of the best-known and well-financed candidates from the race.

“I’m very frustrated,” Stratton said of his disqualification. “I’m sorry for the public as much as I am for me.”

Stratton had asked the high court to overturn a judge’s ruling last week to remove him from the auditor-controller race because he lacked the educational qualifications outlined in a 37-year-old law. The decision was upheld by the 2nd District Court of Appeal, and Stratton took his case to the state Supreme Court.

But his hopes of reinstatement were dashed late Monday afternoon when the high court issued a one-sentence order denying Stratton’s petition for appeal.

County officials said they were pleased that the issue had been resolved because printing of 350,000 sample ballots without Stratton’s name had already started. Officials ordered the printing to begin over the weekend to meet a state-mandated deadline to get the sample ballots out to voters for review before the election.

“We’re happy because it means that the county doesn’t have to pay to have the ballots reprinted” with Stratton’s name, said Robert Orellana, assistant county counsel.

William Baker, a certified public accountant and one of five candidates for auditor-controller, filed a lawsuit last month challenging Stratton’s qualifications for the job. Baker said he was not surprised by the court’s decision Monday.

“There was no doubt in my mind Mr. Stratton was not qualified to run for the auditor-controller position,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, his accounting experience was none.”

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Baker said he hoped that his challenge showed “that I’m not afraid to stick my neck out.” He said he spent $5,000 to file the challenge in court.

Meanwhile, Thomas O. Mahon, appointed incumbent auditor, said his chances of holding on to his seat were boosted with Stratton out of the race.

“It’s going to work toward my benefit,” Mahon said. “Let’s be honest; he was a very strong candidate, the mayor of a city with lots of name recognition in the east county. On the other hand, I can’t help feel some degree of sorrow for him.”

Other candidates in the race include accountants Richard Morrisset and Scott Weiss of Ventura and Clifford Wigen of Simi Valley.

To qualify for county auditor, state law dictates that a candidate must either be a certified public accountant, have served as county auditor-controller or deputy auditor for at least three years, or possess a certificate or diploma from a school of accountancy.

Because there are no more schools of accountancy in California, Stratton argues that his master’s degree in business administration--including 14 units in accounting--should be sufficient.

But in his ruling last week, Superior Court Judge William Peck said that while Stratton might have a strong background in accounting and business administration, he nevertheless did not meet the literal requirements for the job as outlined in the 1957 law.

Stratton said that he believes the law needs to be clarified and that he may take up the issue with state legislators in the future.

“I find it interesting that you can be state controller without a CPA, but you can’t be a county controller,” he said.

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Although Stratton said he might consider running as a write-in candidate, county officials said that because a judge had ruled he was ineligible, he would probably be prevented from doing so.

Stratton said that his candidacy had just started to get rolling, and that he had already raised more than $10,000. He said running for reelection for mayor in November was still an option. But then again, he said, so is taking time off from political life.

“There are worse things than not running for political office,” he said.