San Diego

Sen. Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) on Thursday became the first California legislator to endorse a proposed “clean government initiative” that would limit lawmakers to serving 12 years in each house of the Legislature, as well as use public financing for political campaigns.

Killea said she will help support backers of the measure--written by California Common Cause, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, and San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery--who hope to gather 700,000 signatures to put the measure on the November ballot.

“I believe this initiative has been unfairly portrayed as an attack on the state Legislature,” Killea said about a measure that has drawn opposition from many current legislators. “It is not.”

Killea also said she would support another ballot measure aimed at cleaning up the Legislature’s ethics image by banning the payment of speaking fees to lawmakers while establishing a new commission to set legislative salaries. It would also set a limit on gifts and tightens conflict-of-interest regulations.

The second ballot measure is being drafted by the Legislature in response to recent scandals, including the conviction of former Sen. Joseph Montoya (D-Whittier) on political corruption charges, as well as public opinion polls that show the public holds its legislators in low regard.