Inglewood City Clerk Yvonne Horton has been in office for over 16 years and presided over as many three dozen elections as the Chief Elections Officer. She is the single most reliable source of relaying election information to the public and ensuring eligibility of those seeking to run for office. 2UrbanGirls finds it concerning that it appears she has violated the city’s municipal code to get her family friend/deputy city clerk elected to succeed her.
Aisha Thompson has worked for both Yvonne and her husband Jerome Horton for decades. Thompson has served them in an official capacity in their respective government offices and personally as a board member for the Horton’s charity. As the deputy city clerk, it is typical for candidates pulling nomination forms to get them directly from Thompson. We can assume she fully understands the eligibility requirements for candidates seeking office.
According to the Inglewood Municipal Code, Thompson is directly in violation of I.M.C. 2-48 and 2-50 which governs Inglewood employees seeking a seat on the Inglewood City Council.
I.M.C. 2-48. Improper Political Activity. No person holding a position under the classified service shall: (a) seek or accept election, nomination or appointment as an officer of a political club or organization, or (b) take an active part in a county or municipal political campaign, or (c) serve as a member of a committee of such club or organization or circle, or (d) seek signatures to any petition provided for by any law, or (e) to act as a worker at the polls, or (f) distribute badges or pamphlets, dodgers or handbills of any kind favoring or opposing any candidate for election or for nomination to public office, whether county or municipal.
I.M.C. 2-50. Other Political Activities Permitted. – Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prevent any officer or employee from becoming or continuing to be a member of a political club or organization, or from attendance at a political meeting, or from enjoying entire freedom from all interference in casting his or her vote or from seeking or accepting election or appointment to public office; provided, however, that a person holding a position in the classified service must resign his position in the classified service before seeking election to the office of Mayor, City Councilmember, City Clerk or City Treasurer. (Ord. 1569 1-31-61)
In short, the IMC requires that employees resign their position before beginning the signature collection process to run for any seat on the city council.
Horton appears to have intentionally made the nomination closing date of August 7, on a day that city hall was closed to the public, and didn’t notify residents until August 11 she wasn’t seeking office and as a direct result the nomination period was extended until August 12.
In the meantime, Thompson is still working in the city clerk’s office, who is administering the election, having her name added to official city council agendas, sending out recorded phone calls to voters, it is an obvious attempt to use taxpayer funded resources for her campaign marketing. Thompson is also regularly running the city council meetings in place of Horton.
Will Yvonne Horton disqualify Thompson, of her own accord, or will the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office be forced to intervene?
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My question would be @ 2urbangirls is @ what point does this Mayor. Council or administration be held accountable for any of it’s action.
If you clearly examine the City Ordinance Aishia Thompson fraudulently in collusion with the City Clerk and the council.
This situation stinks to high heaven and my hope that Aishia Thompson withdraws her candidacy for City Clerk.
It’s no coincidence that Yvonne Horton is involved in this entanglement.
This is the same Yvomne Horton who is married to disgraced former Board of Equalization Chairman Jerome Horton, whom illegal and crooked activities. single handedly handidly cause the Board of Equalization in an unprecedented move to be stripped of its power, as it has been alleged that he used his discretionary funds as a board member to promote him and his wife and used these community tax events as campaign rallies.
I suggest folks do their homework.
It was a time we could look past fraud for the greater good but now the elected officials and administration seem like they are more interested in serving themselves and the community at large.
This shit show @ the City is embarrassing
Consider asking the city attorney for a formal legal opinion.
Would that be the city attorney who foolishly hired a law firm to bring a copyright lawsuit against Joseph Tixeira and make Inglewood the laughing stock of the country ?
Freedom of Speech seems a bit too tough for this administration to deal with, second only in difficulty to doing that which is right
@2UrbanGirls if Aisha lives in Inglewood she is allowed to run for an elected position in the city.
The only thing she can not do while working for Inglewood is use City Hall or its resources to benefit her campaign.
Why are you always trying to put down the black men and women who work at Inglewood and Compton City Halls? Try showing support sometimes.
Aisha is the perfect person to fill the position. It’s no different than when a CEO steps down from a position and their senior vice president moves right into the CEO role.
Aisha definitely has the skills to do the job and she proves it every time she fills in for the city clerk during the city council meetings.
@2UrbanGirls please stop being the black woman constantly hating on other black women and their goals. It’s such a bad look.
How should i address you? DJ or TEENA?
ANY Inlgewood resident has a right to run for an elected position, however, the city’s OWN LAW states that as a CITY EMPLOYEE YOU MUST FIRST RESIGN before starting the process. If Mayor Butts wants to deny the treasurer the same designation as “Department Director” with UNION STATUS, to obtain lifetime medical upon retirement that other city employees had to GIVE UP TO CONTINUE WORKING IN THE CITY, and saying “its against the law” to give the benefit to Wanda, the same line of reasoning should be true for the city clerk breaking the city’s LAW to benefit her friend/staffer, unless it directly benefits Mayor Butts.
If pointing out the LAW is your idea of “HATING” i don’t give a FUCK and you can stop commenting on my website.
DJ it is terribly sad that you think telling the truth about HOW TAX DOLLARS are spent is “hating on” those who misuse the funds they have been entrusted to use for public good.
Seeking transparency is not “trying to put down black men and women”.
Instead holding up All employees to the standard of excellence their outrageous salaries suggest they are capable of performing is looking out for the black community being provided less service at higher costs.
What you see on the clerk do during council meeting videos does not reflect all that the job description includes…and yet…
Aisha has already shown us “bending the law” is okay to her when to her advantage,….so why would we expect her to do what is right thing if it is convenient to do wrong with our public records
Did DJ read the article or is he related to or a friend of Thompson…Reading and comprehension are fundamental not speaking off emotions…
He’s a paid flunkie of BUTTS
You got this one wrong! There is NO code or law that prohibits a city employee from seeking public office even if its one at City Hall. You are misinterpreting the municipal code. There are many instances where a staff member of an elected official run for the same seat as the elected official they are employed by. You can’t however use city resources for your campaign purposes. Thompson is not in any violation of the municipal code and can’t be prohibited from running for office. If elected Thompson will however be required to resign from her employment before assuming her then elected responsibilities.
Other Inglewood employees have been told the same: if they want to run they have to quit. If Inglewood wants to change the code, they know how to do it.
I smell bs. But this is Inglewood. The Mayor and Council are backing a candidate who their laws says is not eligible to run. More corruption from the Big I.
According to the Inglewood Municipal Code, Thompson is directly in violation of I.M.C. 2-48 and 2-50 which governs Inglewood employees seeking a seat on the Inglewood City Council.
I.M.C. 2-48. Improper Political Activity. No person holding a position under the classified service shall: (a) seek or accept election, nomination or appointment as an officer of a political club or organization, or (b) take an active part in a county or municipal political campaign, or (c) serve as a member of a committee of such club or organization or circle, or (d) seek signatures to any petition provided for by any law, or (e) to act as a worker at the polls, or (f) distribute badges or pamphlets, dodgers or handbills of any kind favoring or opposing any candidate for election or for nomination to public office, whether county or municipal.
I.M.C. 2-50. Other Political Activities Permitted. – Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prevent any officer or employee from becoming or continuing to be a member of a political club or organization, or from attendance at a political meeting, or from enjoying entire freedom from all interference in casting his or her vote or from seeking or accepting election or appointment to public office; provided, however, that a person holding a position in the classified service must resign his position in the classified service before seeking election to the office of Mayor, City Councilmember, City Clerk or City Treasurer. (Ord. 1569 1-31-61)
Sounds like a clear Violation.
Thank you 2urban girls for actually showing the municipal code as part of your report.
The Inglewood Municipal Code is these of rules or ordinances which govern Inglewood.
What other municipalities permit or allow does not make it okay for Inglewood’s City Clerk, or Inglewood employees to violate Inglewood ordinances.!!
Using City resources of course is wrong as is using one’s Inglewood job title to influence voters – Are we to believe that calling “on behalf of the city clerk” was not using position to obtain name recognition and warm fuzzies ?
So that leaves the “confusion” with the words “must” and “before” so the question really is……
??? Will an attorney be paid to clarify that :
1). “must” means “obligated” or “required”
And
2). “before” means “in advance of” or “prior to”
Yep the administration standard op now is …to name call the truth tellers,….. attempt to silent critics, ….. claim a dictionary definition can’t be trusted… oh yes say that they are being picked on….
Voters/residents it is time to say no more to the corruption,