INGLEWOOD – The Daily Breeze continues to amplify Inglewood voices by reporting on an unprecedented move by the Inglewood city clerk to demand live scans from potential candidates for mayor and city council in upcoming elections which was first reported by 2UrbanGirls.
Related: Inglewood City Clerk’s office appears compromised
The newspaper also pointed out that City Clerk Aisha Thompson, who was elected in 2020, didn’t have to submit a live scan to be on the ballot despite her defending asking others to do so.
In an email, City Clerk Aisha Thompson said she was amazed she was “being questioned, especially when all I am doing is asking each potential candidate to do a Live Scan to clear them so if, in fact, someone is a convicted felon, it would not cost our Inglewood tax payers.”
She pointed to the prohibited felonies outlined in the state Elections Code as the authority for the background checks. Thompson, who previously served as the city’s deputy city clerk, did not respond to questions asking when the change was made, who decided on it, or why candidates did not receive earlier notification about it.
She also said candidates must make appointments to pick up and turn in their nomination papers so that she can go through the paperwork with them, a process that takes about a half-hour.
Multiple potential candidates were interviewed and described the over reaching authority of the request and also question where there personal information will end up.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts has usurped total control of both City Hall and the Inglewood Police Department and is alleged to be abusing his power as a former chief of police with access to residents personal information via both entities.
Treasurer Wanda Brown alleged the mayor began stationing IPD officers near her home after she began speaking out on the City’s finances.
Read the full Daily Breeze article here.
