YORBA LINDA : City Weighs Plan to Limit Council Terms

The City Council is expected to consider tonight whether to place a measure on the November ballot that would limit council members to three consecutive terms.

The term-limit proposal, which has been debated among council members for nearly a year, appeared dead several months ago when Councilman Gene Wisner expressed doubts about its legality and retracted his support for the measure.

But Wisner said that after last fall’s state Supreme Court decision upholding term limits on state lawmakers, he is willing to let the voters in Yorba Linda decide. Opponents had argued that the initiative restricted voters’ rights because they would be restricted from choosing certain candidates.

“That had been my hang-up on it all along,” Wisner said. “But if the (state) Supreme Court said it was legal and the people want it, so be it.”

Last year, Councilman John M. Gullixson proposed limiting council members to three consecutive terms. A person would be permitted to run again after sitting out an election. But his efforts were unsuccessful.

Gullixson said that if the council doesn’t place the measure on the ballot this year, he will launch a petition drive to place it there.

Some opponents predict that Yorba Linda voters would reject such a measure.

Councilman Henry W. Wedaa, who opposes term limits along with Mayor Irwin M. Fried, said voters in the city will “reject anyone when they want to.”

“Those that will consider (the term limit measure) thoughtfully . . . will reject it,” Wedaa said.

Wisner also said he had doubts about whether local voters would opt for term limits.

“I’m still not sure whether the people are that concerned in a local election,” Wisner said. “ . . . Their mood is a lot easier to translate into votes. We’ll find out.”

But Councilman Mark Schwing said term limits help bring “new ideas and new concepts” to government. He added that often a career politician can grow “too distant” from constituents.

“The advantages of an incumbent are very difficult to overcome, even if voters want to,” Schwing said. “ . . . They’re on their own agenda, not on the voters’ agenda.”