Livingston police officer to bow out of council seat

Would-be Livingston Councilman Wapinder Kang will relinquish his City Council seat and remain a police officer, according to the city attorney.

The 30-year-old was faced with the decision because state law prohibits him from holding a council seat in the same city where he works as a police officer. City Attorney Jose Sanchez said on Friday the decision leaves the city with a vacancy to fill on the council.

Livingston is set to swear in two council members on Tuesday – newcomer Juan Aguilar Jr. and incumbent Arturo Sicairos, according to Sanchez.

Kang’s exit leaves the city with a vacancy for the third seat. The City Council has 60 days to decide whether to appoint a council member or run a special election, which is routine for filling a vacancy, according to Sanchez.

Saying he wanted to “think it all the way through,” Kang told the Sun-Star he planned to submit his decision in writing before making it public. He took some criticism for not making a decision sooner.

“It’s a difficult decision,” he told the Sun-Star on Friday. “I would hate for somebody to rush to make a decision that fast when it has something to do with the public and the city.”

The officer made $97,411 including benefits in 2015, according to Transparent California. A Livingston council member makes $3,600 a year, according to the salary-tracking website.

Kang received the second most votes in the race in the November election – 1,036 as of figures released this week.

Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 mail-in and provisional ballots from across Merced County are yet to be counted as the Merced County Registrar of Voters Office checks the signatures on them.

The office is looking to wrap up and certify the election by Tuesday, according to staff.

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Livingston police officer to bow out of council seat."