YORBA LINDA : Term Limits to Be Kept on City Ballot

In a 3-2 vote, the City Council this week decided to keep a council term-limit measure on the November ballot, although state law may prohibit the city from implementing it if approved.

The council majority has supported placing a measure on the ballot that would limit council members to three four-year terms. Under the proposed measure, council terms started before January, 1993, would not be counted, and council members could sit out a term and run again.

But as a general-law city, Yorba Linda cannot limit council members’ terms without state legislation. Two recent bills that would have allowed cities to enact term limits were killed in committees.

Councilman Henry W. Wedaa used the death of the state bills as new ammunition in his staunch battle against term limits. The 22-year councilman argued that it would be a waste of the city’s money to place the measure on the ballot when the city wouldn’t be able to enforce the law if it was approved by voters.

“I’d object to throwing away $10,000 to $15,000 (in election expenses) on this issue at this time,” he said.

Mayor Irwin M. Fried, Wedaa’s ally in the term-limit debate, agreed. He said it would be an “exercise in futility” to place the limit before voters.

But the three other council members supported going ahead and asking voters to decide on the limit. If approved, the limit could be enacted whenever state legislation is passed, and in the meantime, the November results will serve as an advisory vote, said Councilman John M. Gullixson, who has led the term-limit effort.

Meanwhile, Councilman Gene Wisner, who has been on the council since November, 1983, took time during the term-limit discussion to announce that he will not seek reelection in November.

Wisner said that after nearly nine years on the council he feels he has become more a representative of the city government than the citizens.

“I think it’s about time I step down and represent the people again,” he said. “But come ‘94, save a spot on the ballot for me, because I’m going to be back.”