Another minor political dust-up in the South Bay has turned into a fake constitutional crisis that is much to do about nothing. Again.
South Bay candidates are engaged in a new sort of turf war now that Chula Vista City Council races will be voted on by districts rather than by all voters in the City. San Diego and other larger cities elect their representatives this way, but it seems South Bay candidates want to use this new election process to cause even more division than we’ve seen in recent years.
The issue at hand is that one candidate for Chula Vista City Council, Dr. Eduardo Reyes, recently registered to vote in what is now District 4, roughly the areas of Chula Vista west of 805 and south of L Street. That address is an apartment on Moss Street. Critics argue Reyes still owns his home in Eastlake where he has lived for years. Accusations of “carpetbagger” have been flying around from a group made up mostly of supporters of Reyes’ main political opponent in the race, former Councilman Rudy Ramirez.
So what’s the big deal here?
Well, state and local elections laws require that candidates for office be registered to vote AND be a resident of the district at the time they file to run for office. Specifically, the Chula Vista charter states that “At the time nomination papers are issued… a person running for City Council must be a resident of the Council district for which that person seeks election. Additionally, a person must be a registered voter of the City.”
The question remains whether Reyes actually lives at the Moss Street apartment. That’s a fair question for voters to ask and for Reyes to address.
But the group accusing Reyes of being a “carpetbagger” is now asking the City Council to take actions that NO other city, county, or state requires of any candidate; a length of residency requirement before being eligible to run for office.
Now, that’s a step too far.
The only office in the country that has any residency time frame to be eligibile is President of the United States. Article II, Section I, Clause V of the Constitution requires that a candidate “been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
We may remember from history class that the Founding Fathers had just declared independence from England and fought a bloody revolutionary war to secure their freedom. Their biggest fear was that a British loyalist would be elected President and fall back under the control of England. The residency requirement in the original Constitution, along with being a natural born citizen, was aimed at preventing a proxy for the King of England from being elected President of the new US.
That’s hardly what’s at play in Chula Vista.
Dr. Reyes has lived in Chula Vista for over 37 years. He’s an elected member of the Chula Vista School District, serving student from the entire City. He’s been a local educator for many years and currently serves as the Principal of Bonita Vista Middle School. He’s also a local business owner. Hardly the description of a carpetbagger.
Reyes’ critics are alleging that someone from Eastlake couldn’t possibly understand what issues need to be addressed just a few miles away.
Come on, we’re not talking about someone from another state moving here yesterday to run for office. And Chula Vista’s issues are not so nuanced by neighborhoods that Reyes wouldn’t understand them.
What’s really ironic about this situation is that the term “carpetbagger” is being used when, in fact, the history of the term would help Reyes in this case.
Carpetbaggers were Northerners that moved to the South right after the end of the Civil War in 1865. The term was coined by Southerners as a derogatory term because they feared these new residents would try to institute progressive reforms after the end of slavery, including supporting civil rights, economic development, and the establishment of public school systems.
Another irony: Reyes’ opponent, Rudy Ramirez, is criticizing Reyes of moving just to run for office. Maybe Ramirez has a short memory, but, just four years ago, Ramirez himself was criticized for doing the same thing when he moved to run for the 79th State Assembly, a race he lost in June 2012. At that time, Ramirez was finishing his second term on the Chula Vista City Council. Under the City’s term limits, he could not run again unless he sat out for at least one election. After sitting out the last election cycle, this year Ramirez is seeking to return to his former Council seat.
This is not an endorsement of any candidate but, instead, it’s a warning to voters to listen carefully to try to find the truth within the political noise of the campaigns.
Voters will choose between Reyes, an educator that moved recently, Ramirez, a former Councilman that ran for another political position all together and now is seeking to return to the Council, or two others; Emmanuel Soto and Marcos Lopez.
For sure, the last thing we need in Chula Vista are more election laws to further complicate an already confusing process.
Politicians should let the voters decide who they want to represent them without unnecessary limits.
We trust that voters are smarter than politicians give them credit for.