Appeals to bigotry will no longer be allowed on election ballots of the city, it was announced by Louis Fox, chairman of the Civil Rights Committee of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith here.
“As a result of on ordinance drafted by members of the ADL Civil Rights Committee, the City Council has passed and Mayor Tom Bradley has signed a law which will prevent references to the race, religion, or national origin of candidates for municipal office on Los Angeles ballots,” Fox said.
He pointed out that the ADL’s interest in this matter was prompted by a recent primary ballot here in which a candidate for mayor described himself as a “Christian businessman.”
Fox said that at the time, the ADL inquired of the City Clerk as to why such a designation was permitted. “We were informed that Los Angeles was exempted from the California Election Code section barring such designations in state elections,” Fox said. “We then proceeded to draft a statute which was introduced by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky.” The ADL officials said the law will take effect in time for the April, 1983 Los Angeles primary election.
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