Member Article

City bans mayor from working late

Councillors in California have passed a curfew on their own mayor because they don’t like her working late at night. Blanca Figueroa, the mayor of South El Monte, a suburb east of Los Angeles, must now vacate city hall by 11pm.

Councillors said they had concerns about safety and liability regarding the work schedule of the mayor, who frequently worked until the early hours of the morning.

But Ms Figueroa says the curfew is unfair as she needs to work late to catch up on paperwork because her days are filled with meetings. She also says her workload has increased over recent months due to the economic downturn worrying constituents.

“My job is 24/7,” the mayor, who has been in office since 1997, told the Los Angeles Times. “I have more work to do now than ever. If I let it go by, it piles up. Do I have a private life? No. Even on Thanksgiving I was here. I’m mentally exhausted, but it is my service to serve the city.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .