THOUSAND OAKS : Candidate Can’t Use ‘Activist’ Description

A Thousand Oaks City Council candidate will not be allowed to describe his occupation as “activist” on the November ballot, a Ventura County judge ruled Thursday.

The day before the deadline for all county ballot information to be sent to the printer, Ekbal Quidwai filed an appeal to change his occupational designation from “self-employed salesman,” as the city clerk’s office described him, to “salesman/activist.”

Quidwai is a regular at weekly council meetings, speaking on nearly every issue. He also fires off numerous letters each week to council members and the media, expressing his opinions on a variety of local topics.

“Activism is a part-time job for me,” Quidwai told Judge Barbara Lane, explaining that he works 40 hours a week selling communications equipment and 20 hours a week monitoring council activities. “I’m asking that the ballot reflect one aspect of my life.”

But Lane said that for Quidwai to label himself an activist on the ballot itself is similar to using a prejudicial adjective like “virtuous” or “eminent,” which is not allowed under state election law.

“Judges just can’t make the law up,” Lane said after Quidwai continued to press his point and presented her with newspaper clippings to bolster his argument. “I can’t do anything on a wing and a prayer.”

Instead, Lane asked the county elections office to change Quidwai’s description on his sample ballot statement, which she said should be of his own choosing since it is his opinion statement. The elections office had already sent the statements to the printer, but officials said the change should only cause a one- to two-day delay.

Quidwai said he plans to consult a lawyer as to further legal action on his ballot description. The judge’s decision, he said, left him only partly satisfied.

“I’m half-happy,” he said with a sigh. “That’s what politics is about, I guess--compromise.”