Today came news that the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the removal of Alejandrina Cabrera's name from the city council race in San Luis, a town that straddles the Arizona-Mexico border just south of Yuma.
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a ruling that barred a woman from running for a city council seat because she doesn't speak English proficiently. Arizona Republic
State law requires that office holders know English, but the legislation does not define proficiency. When Cabrera announced her run for city council, her language skills were immediately called into question by Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla, and he sought court action to bar Cabrera from running. She was tested by linguists and her language skills did not meet the minimum required to serve on the city council.
Now, a skeptic might point out that Alejandrina Cabrera had previously led two recall drives against Mayor Escamilla. That little tiff, more than her language skills, might have provided incentive to remove her name from consideration.
Nonetheless, the case raises some interesting issues and, in fact, Cabrera's attorney says he is considering an appeal to the US Supreme Court, while Cabrera herself continues to campaign. Located on the Mexico border, many of San Luis's residents speak Spanish, so the question might be asked, What language skills should a city council representative possess to best serve his or her constituents? Or, Should a decision about a candidate's language skills, in addition to her platform, be left to voters?
But if the law holds that office holders must be fluent in English, how is it that this woman still has a job?
Yes, we have did!