LA PALMA : Polis, 5 Others to Be on Council Ballot

A state appeals court on Thursday ordered the city to allow Councilman Richard Polis to run for a third term on the City Council--a term that might later turn out to be illegal.

City Clerk Pamela Gibson had refused to accept Polis’ nomination papers to run for reelection, citing a 1982 voter-approved law limiting La Palma council members to two consecutive terms. Polis, 51, sued the city last month and won a Superior Court judgment that La Palma’s term-limit law is illegal.

La Palma appealed that decision and refused to allow Polis on the ballot until the appeal could be heard.

On Thursday, the 4th District Court of Appeal set a Sept. 25 hearing date and ordered the city to place Polis’ name on the ballot.

Five other candidates also will vie for the three seats on the City Council. They are:

* Incumbent Eva G. Miner, 66, who was elected in 1988.

* Duane Schuster, 61, a purchasing agent and 1991 La Palma citizen of the year.

* Christian L. Basquette, 23, who runs a coupon marketing business and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1990 election.

* Wallace Linn, 53, a mortgage banker and unsuccessful write-in candidate in the 1990 election.

* Jacklyn Polis, 47, a documentation assistant at Hughes Aircraft and the wife of Councilman Polis.

Polis’ lawsuit is being watched by other cities interested in limiting council terms. The Laguna Niguel City Council voted earlier this month to wait for a ruling on Polis’ lawsuit before enacting its own law.

During Polis’ Superior Court lawsuit, the judge cited a Northern California appeals court ruling, which said general-law cities may not set term limits. The ruling, though, does not apply to cities with charters. Most cities, like La Palma and Laguna Niguel, do not have charters.