by the staff of El Reportero
It’s rare that a city mayor, board of supervisors, library commission and department heads, a union, and citizens of all types come together on anything, but that’s what happened in San Francisco when City Librarian Luis Herrera was nominated for the prestigious LJ Librarian of the Year award. Citywide support, including recently elected Mayor Edwin Lee, users of the city’s branch libraries, chiefs of other city departments, and members of the Librarians Guild of the Service Employees International Union made Luis Herrera the clear choice for the 2012 LJ Librarian of the Year. He was chosen by the editors of LJ.
Herrera earned broad respect by establishing a firm fiscal foundation for the San Francisco Public Library when he became City Librarian in 2005. He restarted the stalled Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP).
Herrera’s understanding of the importance of teams, sensitive leadership, and shared management style have all contributed to his success. In addition, his ability to get things done by building partnerships with other city departments—the Police Department, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Environment, the Parks Department—is unique.
Appeals court tosses Obama birthplace challenge
The so-called birther movement was dealt another legal blow Thursday when a federal appeals court tossed out a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship and his eligibility to serve as commander in chief.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that none of the challengers had legal standing to file the lawsuit on Jan. 20, 2009, the day Obama was inaugurated. The three-judge panel cited various reasons for disqualifying six sets of plaintiffs, who included Obama’s political rivals, taxpayers and military personnel.
The birther movement has filed multiple lawsuits over the issue, so far with no success.
The U.S. Constitution says only “a natural born citizen” may serve as president. The challengers allege that Obama, whose father was Kenyan, was born in that African country, rather than the U.S. state of Hawaii. They claim his Hawaii birth certificate is a forgery.
The appeals court didn’t address the authenticity of the birth certificate, instead ruling that the challengers couldn’t show “concrete injury” from the allegations.
The lawsuit was filed in 2009 by 40 plaintiffs, including conservative activists Alan Keyes and Wiley Drake, who ran for president and vice president respectively as members of the American Independent Party against Obama in 2008.
They alleged they had standing to file a lawsuit because of their interest in competing in a fair election. Libertarian Party vice-presidential candidate Gail Lightfoot was also a plaintiff.
