ANAHEIM : Homeowners Group Backs Vote Reform

A local homeowners group said Wednesday that it has begun rallying support for ballot measures that would limit campaign contributions to City Council candidates and the number of terms that council members can hold office.

“It seems a lot of people are really disappointed with the way things have been handled down at City Hall,” said Curtis Stricker, local president of the 500-member Homeowners Maintaining Their Environment. “A lot of people think it has to do with the economy. We think it’s mismanagement in government.”

Stricker’s comments came a day after council members asked that both election reform issues be placed before the voters in November.

Stricker said his group will also be gathering support for eliminating the city’s at-large system of elections and replacing it with district representation.

Among the plans council members are expected to consider for placement on the fall ballot are proposals to limit officeholders to two terms of four years each and to place a $1,000-per-contributor ceiling on political donations for each election period.

Meanwhile, Councilman William D. Ehrle, who is running for reelection in the fall, said Tuesday that he will ask the council within two weeks to consider creating district elections. Earlier this week, Ehrle said he had hoped to have the council discuss the districting issue Tuesday but could not schedule the matter in time.

Steve White, secretary of the homeowners group, said he has already begun contacting other community and civic organizations in a bid to win support for the reforms.

White said his group’s members are generally residents of downtown and neighborhoods surrounding Disneyland. The group has invited representatives of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, the American Assn. of Retired Persons and a local anti-tax group to a private Friday night meeting to round up further support for the ballot issues.

“On the contribution issue, what we’re really concerned about is the amount of money contributed to the council by developers,” White said. “Our group also feels that term limits are a positive thing.”

Both Stricker and White said their group has always supported district council elections as a way to bring government representation closer to the neighborhoods.

“Offers made by the council in the past for changes in our government have been very meager,” Stricker said. “Maybe this is the year for us to try to get districts in front of the people.”

Last month, local Latino organizations renewed a call for district elections in California cities, including Anaheim. Some Latino leaders have said at-large systems are blocking minorities from either running or holding office.