A charge sheet was filed by CalTV co-executive director Myles Moscato Monday that could alter the legal counsel available during negotiations and trial.
Moscato asks the ASUC Judicial Council in the charge sheet to prohibit Solicitor General Erin Delaney — who represented the initiative’s campaign manager Lynn Yu at the previous hearing — from representing Yu in any case regarding the legality of the V.O.I.C.E. initiative.
“Representation would act as a blatant conflict of interest and disregard for ASUC by-laws,” Moscato said in the charge sheet.
Moscato also said in the charge sheet that he would ask the council to require Delaney to pursue any actions for charges filed against campaign violations for the initiative. Delaney is the primary spokesperson of the ASUC if it is a plaintiff or defendant in any case, according to ASUC bylaws.
Moscato filed his claims as an individual and not on behalf of CalTV. ASUC-sponsored student groups cannot campaign for or against election candidates or initiatives.
At the April 18 V.O.I.C.E. hearing – where Yu filed charges against the legality of an executive order that invalidated the initiative — the council decided that Delaney could represent Yu.
But in their final decision announced April 24 to overturn the executive order, the council indicated their “extreme displeasure” with Delaney representing the plaintiff.
“Since I have been operating as the V.O.I.C.E.’s representation since the original by-law violation charge sheets were filed nearly a month … and officially recognized as their counsel since the Executive Order trial, it would be unethical for me to levy charges against them,” Delaney said in an email.
The initiative asked students to support The Daily Californian through a $2 per semester student fee. After the hearing, it was announced to have passed in the ASUC general election.
The council has not yet met to discuss the charge sheet, according to Erica Furer, the council chair.
Chloe Hunt is the lead student government reporter.
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Maybe what is ridiculous is that a student association would have an “attorney general” and “solicitor general” in the first place. Oh yeah, they also have a “chief justice”.
ASUC Judicial Council did this:
On April 18th, gave approval for Delaney to represent Yu.
On April 24th, made expression of ‘extreme displeasure’ that Delaney represents Yu.
Conclusion: ASUC JC is a joke.
Consistent with this: ASUC is now and always has been a joke.
(Recall last year when ASUC accidentally allocated the same $15,000 for two different projects. Recall the year before when N. Stern admitted voting under other persons names during the presidential election yet was allowed to assume the office of president.)
“The Solicitor General shall, during election season, actively search out
campaign violations with the Attorney General and file suits
accordingly with the Judicial Council.”