Professor Aoki Comments on Strong Mayor Election for Sacramento Bee
Professor Keith Aoki commented for the Sacramento Bee on Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong mayor proposal. The proposal would significantly increase mayoral powers, but a lawsuit argues that it would constitute an unlawful revision of the city charter.
The plaintiffs say, according to state law, such revisions can be proposed only by a governing body, such as a city council or a charter commission. The Bee reported, "[Professor] Aoki questioned whether the process used to put the measure on the ballot should be considered a violation of state law. The state, he said, tends to give cities leeway when it comes to local issues."
"There's an argument that the structure of local government is a matter of local, not statewide concern," Aoki said.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster was expected to issue a ruling on the matter on Friday, January 15, but delayed the ruling. Previously, he tentatively ruled the strong mayor initiative had been placed int he ballot illegally.
Keith Aoki is a Professor at UC Davis School of Law. He has written widely in the areas of Local Government Law, Globalization, and Critical Race Theory.