In brief: Court affirms ruling on English skills

Phoenix – A would-be city council candidate in Arizona will not appear on an upcoming ballot because her English skills are insufficient, the state’s Supreme Court decided Tuesday.

In a brief two-page order, the high court affirmed a superior court judge’s ruling, which struck Alejandrina Cabrera’s name from the March ballot in the town of San Luis.

The case, which attracted international media attention, was closely watched because of possible legal repercussions for other border communities where Spanish predominates. Cabrera’s lawyers argued that the issue should be decided by San Luis voters.

Cabrera acknowledged her English is weak, but said she knew enough of the language to represent San Luis. Almost 99 percent of the town’s residents are Latino.

House passes bill to speed property sales

Washington – The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would speed the disposal of surplus federal property, a mundane-sounding but potentially significant money saver.

The bill, which still faces some impediments, would set up a nine-member commission that would identify big-ticket, surplus properties ripe for sale.

“The federal government has a terrible track record of selling property that isn’t being used,” said Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif. “This is an opportunity to do better.”

Denham, who’s the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees public buildings, modeled his bill after the military base-closing commissions that have targeted excess military facilities.