Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Page 10
Measure to Extend Term Limits for City Officials Dead
From Staff and Wire Service Reports
A proposed ballot measure on whether to extend term limits for city officials from eight to 12 years was killed yesterday by the City Council.
The council unanimously passed a “receive and file” motion by Councilman Nate Holden, who originally proposed the measure but ended up voting against it each time it came up for various reasons.
“The term limits proposal was assassinated by some members of the council,” Holden said. “So, therefore, the voters will be denied an opportunity to even vote on the measure.”
The matter would not have made the March 5 ballot anyway, since the Dec. 7 deadline has passed.
The council had approved the measure before the deadline last month, but was unable to muster the 10 votes needed to override Mayor James Hahn’s veto of it, which came down the same day.
The council had directed City Clerk J. Michael Carey to ask county elections officials to place the measure on the ballot pending another vote to override, but county officials took no action on the item, Carey said.
Holden said he believes the council will approve a measure next year that would extend term limits for city council members, without extending them for other citywide elected officials.
“I am 100 percent confident the matter will be on the ballot next November,” said Holden.
David Gershwin, spokesman for Council President Alex Padilla, said that although anything is possible next year, he wouldn’t begin to predict anything.
“As of today, the matter is dead,” Gershwin said.
Copyright 2001, Metropolitan News Company