2-Term Limit Set for Vote in Anaheim : Political reform: Council orders issue on November ballot but rejects proposal to divide city into five voting districts.

Faced with a package of sweeping political reforms, the City Council on Tuesday agreed only to let voters decide whether limits should be placed on the number of terms council members would be allowed to serve.

During a long and sometimes pointed debate, the council rejected a proposal that would divide the city into five voting districts and gave only a tentative endorsement to a plan that would place limits on campaign contributions.

The council’s unanimous action effectively places in the voters’ hands this November the decision whether the mayor and council members should be limited to two consecutive four-year terms in office.

“Although the real power brokering is done on the state and federal levels, we can begin to serve notice here--that government needs to be cleaned up,” Councilman Bob D. Simpson said. “It is remarkable to me to see how many decisions that are now being made are by people who are looking over their shoulders.”

Simpson, who has vowed to leave office when his first term expires in 1994, said voter approval of term limits would allow elected officials to become more “comfortable” with their own convictions.

Mayor Fred Hunter, who supports limiting both council terms and contributions to municipal campaigns, said he believes that term limits “will pass overwhelmingly in the city.”

“Politics was not supposed to be a career position,” said Hunter, who will be seeking his third term as mayor this fall. “What has happened in politics these days is that politicians have made the job a career of giving themselves pay raises and perks and more perks.”

In a separate discussion over whether to replace the city’s at-large election system with a single-member districting proposal, the council was met with stern opposition from city residents.

One of the strongest voices against the districting proposal came from former Anaheim Mayor Ben Bay, who said districting embodies an atmosphere of “pork barrel politics” and a safe haven for council incumbents.

“This is strong medicine with serious side effects, and Anaheim is not sick,” Bay said.

But local Latino rights activist Amin David supported districting as a way of opening the council to more ethnically diverse representation.

“The fundamental question is, how you will comply with the Voting Rights Act?” David said, referring to possible federal intervention. “You have the chance to do your own districting, or you can have the feds do it for you.”

Following a stormy debate of their own, council members voted 3 to 2 to prevent the issue from being included on the November ballot. Voting against the proposal were Councilmen Tom Daly, Irv Pickler, and Simpson. Hunter and Councilman William D. Ehrle supported the proposed ballot measure.

Afterward, David said an effort will begin to gather signatures on petitions to force the issue on the fall ballot.

A third reform that would limit each campaign contributor to donations of $1,000 per election cycle won tentative approval, but council members voted to table any final decision until June 23.

Daly asked that City Atty. Jack L. White return to the council more specific restrictions that would also limit campaign contributions to political action committees.

“There are no contribution limits in this city right now,” Hunter said. “Someone could walk in here and just buy a council member.”

The council began considering the reform package last January after a series of stories in The Times Orange County Edition showed that its members have received more than $2 million in campaign contributions since 1984. Much of that came from developers, and Mayor Fred Hunter said it was his impression that the quest for large contributions was affecting some members’ decisions.

All three proposals have the overwhelming support of Anaheim residents, according to a scientific poll of 600 residents conducted by The Times last February. By a 77% to 19% margin, respondents said they would vote in favor of limiting campaign contributions and council members’ terms. By a 68% to 27% margin, respondents said they favored electing council members by district.

The proposal to divide the city into districts was originally broached by the Orange County Hispanic Committee for Fair Elections, and it has since received the backing of several multi-ethnic neighborhood groups.