Legislators Must Come to Terms With New Limits : Government: Some may seek higher office; others may run for local seats. But term limits set by Prop. 140 mean Legislature will have all new faces by 1998.

Legislative incumbents may be fretting about their futures in the wake of a recent state court ruling upholding term limits, but political consultant Jeff Adler knows he won’t be lacking for a job.

“It’s the Consultants’ Full Employment Act,” joked Adler, who handles political races in Southern California.

Unless struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, the term limits approved by voters in a statewide initiative last year mean that every incumbent legislator from the Southeast and Long Beach areas will be out of their current offices by late 1998. Those looming pink slips may well create something of a political free-for-all as the lawmakers bid for other elected positions and newcomers scramble to fill the empty Assembly and Senate posts--a situation bound to make for a full workload for Adler and other consultants.

“I think you will see local officials probably jockeying to go after the legislative seats as they come up, and legislators jockeying for congressional seats,” predicted Diane Boggs, a Downey councilwoman and Republican who last year ran for the Assembly. Having lost $40,000 of her own money in that race, however, Boggs doubts that she would try again.

Observed Adler: “The system’s been somewhat moribund. It protected incumbents. There’s no doubt that (term limits) will increase the number of competitive races. . . . I think you’re not going to be able to tell the players without a score card.”

Political watchers say legislators are likely to contemplate runs for not only Congress, but county supervisorial slots, and even the mayoralties of larger cities, such as Long Beach. At the same time, City Council and school board members who’ve dreamed of state office will make their moves as the incumbents’ lock on fund-raising weakens.

At least that is one scenario. Others say that the Legislature will become less appealing to local officials, who won’t want to give up their jobs at home, knowing they’ll only be in Sacramento for a few terms.

The caps on legislative service were upheld earlier this month by the state Supreme Court in a lawsuit filed by legislators, who plan to appeal the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court. The initiative, Proposition 140, bars Assembly members from serving more than three two-year terms and state senators and statewide elected officials from serving more than two four-year terms.

As a result, all current Assembly members will have to leave office by 1996, and senators will have to leave by 1996 or 1998, depending on when they are up for reelection.

“I don’t think people really realized what they were doing,” maintained 50-year-old Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles), elected in 1987 to an east Los Angeles district that includes Maywood, Bell Gardens, Commerce and Vernon.

She is pessimistic about the effect of the limits, which she believes will thrust inexperienced legislators into key leadership positions and favor wealthy people “who want to take time out and play legislator for six years.”

As for her future, she said she may consider a run for Congress, depending on what happens to the congressional districts in reapportionment, the once-a-decade redrawing of legislative and congressional districts that is now under way. “I’m keeping my eyes and ears open.”

A congressional race is also a long-term possibility for Assemblyman Tom Mays (R-Huntington Beach), elected last year to a district that runs from Signal Hill and eastern Long Beach to Huntington Beach. He plans to run for reelection next year, but added, “I always keep my options open. I wouldn’t mind going to Congress and possibly the state Senate.

In contrast to Roybal-Allard, Mays, 37, said he supports term limits. “I’ve been up here nine months, and I think it’s pretty obvious we need fresh blood.”

While a state Senate bid would be a logical choice for Assembly members, Mays doubts that many senators would want to switch to the Assembly. “It’s pretty tough to take a step down,” he said, predicting that many senators would simply retire.

That is exactly what Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk) intends to do after one more term--assuming that reapportionment leaves him with a district in which to run. “I was only going to run one more term anyway,” said Green, who was elected in 1987.

Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes Compton, Cudahy, Bell and South Gate, has also indicated that he is retiring. But at 81, Sen. Ralph C. Dills (D-Gardena), is not sure what his next step will be. The veteran lawmaker, who has been in the Senate since 1966 and served in the Assembly before that, said he has to wait for the redistricting results before deciding what to do.

Private life is beckoning to Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), who is 66. “I had thought I might only serve one more term anyway. Now the decision is made for me,” said Beverly, who has been in the Senate since 1976 and is up for reelection next year.

As Long Beach area politicians, both in and out of the Legislature, try to figure out what the term limits mean for them, many eyes will be on Assemblyman Dave Elder (D-San Pedro).

“In the Long Beach area, the key to the puzzle is Dave Elder,” said one political observer. Will Elder run for the state Senate, or county supervisor, or Congress, or even the Long Beach mayor’s position, a full-time job?

“The most natural progression for me would be the state Senate if a vacancy occurs,” said Elder, 49, who has held his seat since 1978. “Obviously, when I get to (1996), I’ve got to make decisions.”

Regardless of the term limits, Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier) said he plans to run for statewide office in 1994, although he is not sure what he will seek.

Freshman Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R-Diamond Bar), whose district extends from Whittier to Diamond Bar, said he will run for reelection next year but expressed no sorrow over the term limitations. “I’ve never considered myself a professional politician.”

Other legislators representing Southeast Los Angeles County and Long Beach could not be reached for comment. They are Senators Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier); and Assembly members Teresa P. Hughes (D-Los Angeles), Marguerite Archie-Hudson (D-Los Angeles), Willard H. Murray Jr. (D-Paramount), Xavier Becerra (D-Monterey Park), and Bob Epple (D-Norwalk).

Staff writers George Hatch and Mike Ward contributed to this story.

Who’s Leaving When

Under the term-limit initiative upheld earlier this month by the state Supreme Court, all of the 80 members of the Assembly must give up their current seats in 1996. But the term limits for California’s 40 state senators take effect on a staggered schedule, with some required to give up their current seats in 1996 and others in 1998. Here are the departure dates for senators whose districts include parts of the Southeast/Long Beach areas:

1996

Robert Beverly

Cecil Green

Bill Greene

Frank Hill

1998

Charles Calderon

Ralph Dills

Art Torres