Judge Orders Portion of Ballot Argument Deleted

Parts of a ballot argument by Alhambra officials opposing the merger of the city Fire Department with Los Angeles County were ordered scrapped Wednesday by a judge who ruled that they are misleading to voters.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe sided with the Alhambra Firefighters Assn. in ordering the city to delete certain claims over cost, service and ownership of equipment.

The arguments will be included in voter guides prior to the Dec. 16 election.

The firefighters union wants to merge the city’s Fire Department with the county fire protection district to save money and improve safety. But city leaders say the firefighters are out to join the higher-paying county Fire Department.

The judge struck a section saying that county Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman had disputed an assertion that the shift would save money. Freeman denied making such a statement.

The union lost a bid to erase two competing measures that the city put on the ballot.