Can you be a Deputy City Attorney if you've never drawn a paycheck from the City? That's the question roiling the LA City Attorney's race this week and whether Marissa Roy is able to claim she was a Deputy with the City.
As written in the Westside Current, "According to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, Roy was never employed as a deputy city attorney and does not appear in city payroll or personnel records. Instead, officials confirmed she served as a volunteer intern."
The Current reviewed the LA Controller's database, which contains salaries and titles for all city employees, and found no record of Roy working for the City.
The story may be about more than resume puffery. Roy's website notes she "brought a landmark workers’ rights lawsuit against companies at the Port of Los Angeles," which may not be possible if she held no formal role at the City.
It's also not the first time a candidate has potentially misled voters about their legal or public safety credentials. In May of this year a jury convicted a former candidate for Santa Clara County Sheriff of perjury, a felony, for falsely certifying that she had the required experience to run for the elected law enforcement job. The San Jose Spotlight noted that candidate "cited as major accomplishments her planning a picnic for a homeschooling group and co-leading a science and arts fair."
Read more about the LA Story in the Westside Current.