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Credibility of the Times and what defines residency?
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The LA Times has definitely had its fair share of scandals in the near past with firings and hirings. Yet recently, content wise, the watchdog coverage of scandalicious politicians has been riveting. There is Mayor V and then there was the daily pounding of Rocky Delgadillo. The newest politician in the ring is 74-year-old 2nd district county supervisor Yvonne Burke who represents Watts, Culver City, Compton, South LA, Hollywood, Marina Del Rey, Inglewood to name a few.
But where does the Times say she lives? Brentwood. In the Mandeville Canyon section. However they do find that she stops by her townhouse in Mar Vista on a daily basis:
In interviews with my colleagues Jack Leonard and Matt Lait, Burke initially said she stayed in Brentwood only on weekends and special occasions. But over a three-week period, my mates saw the supe make only brief stops in Mar Vista each day and retire each night to Brentwood. [Steve Lopez's Column]
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Upon speaking to James Bolden, Burke spokesman, he "insisted The Times had botched the story about his boss and lost its credibility in the process." In which Steve Lopez responded in his column, "If anyone had a credibility issue, it seemed to me, it was Burke." Maybe those three weeks they followed her was a fluke, but we're going to err with The Times on this one until further notice.
Maybe Burke is confused about residency. You know how out-of-state students are not residents in the eyes of the finance mongers at UC schools until they live here for X amount of time until they get in-state tuition? At the same time, those students are residents within 10-20 days in the eyes of the California Highway Patrol who will pull your out-of-state license plate over and give you a fix-it ticket. Then you finally go over to the DMV to register your car and you get penalized for not registering your car within the time allotted for California residents.
So maybe that's Burke's problem. Residency rules seem to go in favor of the state at the state's whim. But luckily in this case, the residency rules that apply to Burke are more fitting for the public that she represents.
Previous coverage
- Burke has residence far removed from her constituency [LA Times]
- Supervisor Burke's residency WHAT DO YOU THINK? [LA Times]
- If L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Burke would rather live in a tonier district, fine -- she's free to relinquish her seat [LA Times]
Photo by Mr. Littlehand via Flickr
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