American Duchy

Here's one I had never heard of. The city of Vernon, California has about 100 residents. Almost all of the residents work for the government and live in government owned housing at low rents. They hadn't had an election in 25 years.

A judge ordered an election after three new residents wanted to run for the city council.

The political order was upset earlier this year when three new residents filed as candidates for three of the City Council's five seats.

One of them, paper company salesman Don Huff, said that soon, he was being shadowed by private investigators, city crews shut off the power and police watched his building. Eventually Huff, 41, was evicted. He has been living in his car.

"They wanted to run us out, totally," he said. "The mayor owns the whole town. He controls it."

Huff sued along with the other newcomers after the city of fewer than 100 residents threw their names off the ballot. A judge reinstated them as candidates.

In their legal papers, the challengers charge that voters in Vernon are beholden to a City Hall that dispenses paychecks and arranges sweetheart rents. Vernon, they say, is a company town where the government is the company.

On Tuesday, acting City Clerk Bruce Malkenhorst Jr. said he would keep the ballot box locked until the court fight is resolved. An attorney for the challengers, Albert Robles, called the move "absolutely not legal."

The clerk locked up the ballot box and refused to count the votes.

The town has only had four mayors in it's history - all related to the founder. Funniest line in the article:

City officials have charged that Huff was part of a group, linked to a corrupt politician from the nearby city of South Gate, trying to engineer a coup.