quote:

ORIGINAL: OsideGirl

You have to ask yourself, why a US Citizen, born in the US does not have a proficiency in English.

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ORIGINAL: JstAnotherSub

  WTF doesn't know the language of the country they were born in?

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ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

I'd like to be liberal.  But I cannot see how someone could be effective without a basic knowledge of English. That said, I cannot abide by the judge's decision that the judge arbitrarily decide whether her English is adequate.  We need a standardized test.  Wouldn't hurt to also require basic knowledge of civics, law, and business as well.

quote:

Nelson's ruling was based on tests administered by a sociolinguistics expert, as well as her inability to respond to questions posed to her in English at last week's hearing in Yuma. The removal of Cabrera from the ballot also stemmed from a Dec. 14 complaint made by former mayor Guillermina Fuentes that Cabrera isn't fluent in English, according to The Sun.

Fuentes claimed she has acted as an interpreter for Cabrera.

Sociolinguistics expert William Eggington presented the court with results of three different tests he administered to Cabrera, who graduated from Kofa High School in Yuma. One measured her English-speaking skill, another was to determine if she reads the language, and the third was to assess her level of English comprehension.

Eggington's report said Cabrera's English skills did not meet the level of language proficiency needed to serve on the council.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

However, the real question is: should English be the "official" language of the US?

Firm

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A woman barred from seeking elected office in an Arizona border town by a judge who ruled she did not have a sufficient grasp of English has decided to fight the controversial ruling, and filed an appeal on Friday, her lawyer said.

A Yuma County judge disqualified Alejandrina Cabrera, a U.S. citizen born in Yuma, from running for a seat on the city council in the town of San Luis this week for what he called a "large gap" between her English proficiency and that required to serve on the council.

"It was clear to the court that she was stymied by many questions, did not understand many questions, failed to comprehend what was being asked, and guessed at answers," the court ruling said.

The judge, in a move that sparked a debate over language in often bilingual U.S.-Mexican border communities, said Cabrera's English was not of the level needed to carry out the professional duties required of a representative of the public.

http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-candidate-appeals-english-ability-court-decision-035003512.html

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ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

I searched through their city charter and found no requirement in that document which requires any English proficiency of any level to be a requirement to be placed on the ballot.

I did some further research and found prop 106 which was passed and then a back and forth went on for a few years with it until it was ultimately struck down by the Arizona Supreme Court as a violation of the 1st ammendment.

quote:

38-201. General qualifications
A. Every officer shall be not less than eighteen years of age, a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state.
B. No person is eligible to any office, employment or service in any public institution in the state, or in any of the several counties thereof, of any kind or character, whether by election, appointment or contract, unless he is a citizen of the United States, but the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the employment of any teacher, instructor or professor authorized to teach in the United States under the teacher exchange program as provided by federal statutes or the employment of university or college faculty members.
C. A person who is unable to speak, write and read the English language is not eligible to hold a state, county, city, town or precinct office in the state, whether elective or appointive, and no certificate of election or commission shall issue to a person so disqualified.
D. Except as provided in subsection E, a person is not eligible for employment by or service for the state or a political subdivision of the state, including all boards and commissions of the state or political subdivision, all multimember governing bodies of departments, agencies, institutions and instrumentalities of the state or political subdivisions unless the person has registered with the selective service system if required by the federal military selective service act (62 Stat. 604; 50 United States Code App. section 453).
E. A person may not be denied a right, privilege or benefit by reason of subsection D if either of the following applies:
1. The requirement for the person to so register has terminated or become inapplicable to the person.
2. The person shows by a preponderance of the evidence that the failure of the person to register with the selective service system was not a knowing and willful failure to register.

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A woman barred from seeking elected office in an Arizona border town by a judge who ruled she did not have a sufficient grasp of English has decided to fight the controversial ruling, and filed an appeal on Friday, her lawyer said.

A Yuma County judge disqualified Alejandrina Cabrera, a U.S. citizen born in Yuma, from running for a seat on the city council in the town of San Luis this week for what he called a "large gap" between her English proficiency and that required to serve on the council.

"It was clear to the court that she was stymied by many questions, did not understand many questions, failed to comprehend what was being asked, and guessed at answers," the court ruling said.

The judge, in a move that sparked a debate over language in often bilingual U.S.-Mexican border communities, said Cabrera's English was not of the level needed to carry out the professional duties required of a representative of the public.

http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-candidate-appeals-english-ability-court-decision-035003512.html

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ORIGINAL: Zonie63




http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/38/00201.htm&Title=38&DocType=ARS


C. A person who is unable to speak, write and read the English language is not eligible to hold a state, county, city, town or precinct office in the state, whether elective or appointive, and no certificate of election or commission shall issue to a person so disqualified.

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ORIGINAL: BitaTruble


....Thanks for the link Zonie.

I think this is a good case to challenge that law. I hope it goes down just like prop 106 did.

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ORIGINAL: hlen5


Do you mean that she should be allowed to run??