Council Term Limits Will Again Go to Vote

Fourteen years ago, La Palma voters passed a measure that limited City Council members to two consecutive four-year terms. This fall, city voters will be asked again to endorse that same proposal.

A court ruled four years ago that La Palma did not have power under state law to set term limits. A new state statute, effective Jan. 1, changed that, but such limits must be ratified by a city’s voters.

The City Council, at its meeting Tuesday night, agreed to put the question on the Nov. 5 ballot. “It’s quite prevalent that people in this country are demanding term limits of some type,” Councilman Wally Linn said.

The measure would prohibit a council member from again running for that office after completing a second consecutive four-year term. The person could run again, however, after a four-year hiatus.

The new state law requires that a city first enact a term limit proposal, then win voter endorsement. A final reading of La Palma’s ordinance is set for March 19. If it is approved, it will be on the ballot in November.