Ricardo Lara, a South Gate-area Assembly candidate, changes his ballot designation after a lawsuit is filed
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Two days after a lawsuit was filed challenging his ballot designation, legislative aide Ricardo Lara, a candidate in the South Gate area’ s 50th Assembly District, has asked the secretary of state’s office to switch his description from ‘consumer affairs commissioner’ to ‘communications director.’
Attorneys for Lara, communications director for Assemblyman Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), said they did not agree with the lawsuit’s allegations that Lara’s original designation did not meet state requirements. They said Lara did not want to waste his and the court’s resources fighting over the matter.
The lawsuit was funded and filed by EdVoice, an education coalition that has clashed with teachers unions in the Capitol. EdVoice has not yet formally endorsed a candidate in the race, but is expected to intervene against Lara in the campaign.
‘There is a coalition of parents, educators and community leaders and small businesses that have voiced concerns about Mr. Lara’s deceptive attempt to fool the voters,’ said Mike Roth, a spokesman for EdVoice.
On Wednesday, attorneys for EdVoice filed the suit in Sacramento County Superior Court, contending the ‘consumer affairs commissioner’ designation would mislead voters. The suit alleged that Lara, an appointed member of the Los Angeles County Consumer Affairs Commission, had not attended that agency’s public meetings for at least a year.
Lara is competing with three other Democrats in the June 8 primary for their party’s nomination for the seat. They are South Gate City Clerk Carmen Avalos, Downey Councilman Luis Marquez and engineer Art Olivier of Bellflower.
--Jean Merl
