Yes on Anaheim’s Measure J

Unlike in the vast majority of cities throughout the state, Anaheim’s existing city charter has no prohibition against an employee running for mayor or the City Council and, if elected, leading a double life as a city employee and a city official.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be your own boss in this manner? It would mean working for an employer and punching a clock but still having a say in whether you will get a pay raise.

If you work for Anaheim that’s possible currently, if you are the mayor or a member of the City Council. Granted, that’s a big if, but it can happened and has.

The City Council is going to the voters Nov. 7 in ballot Measure J to ask residents to amend the city charter to eliminate that possibility.

The charter change, if approved by voters, will not prohibit an employee from seeking office as mayor or on the council. It just would require any city employee so elected to resign from the city job. And if the newly elected officeholder didn’t want to quit, or failed to do so, a clause would kick in making that resignation automatic when the employee assumed office.

The prohibition would be the same as what is now in the state Government Code, which applies to all general-law cities. That seems fair enough. A yes vote on Measure J will remove the possible conflict of working for City Hall and running it too.