Mayoral Veto on Term Limits Stands--for Now

The Los Angeles City Council failed Friday in its attempt to overturn a mayoral veto of a ballot measure that would relax term limits.

Needing 10 votes to override Mayor James K. Hahn’s veto, the council voted 6-5 on Friday. The measure, which had been proposed for the March 5 ballot, would have allowed elected city officials to serve three terms of four years each, instead of the two terms allowed by current law.

Because the council also could not muster eight votes to permanently shelve the issue, the matter will return Dec. 11, when all 14 council members are to be present.

However, to place the measure on the March ballot, the county registrar-recorder must have an adopted election ordinance from the city by Dec. 7. Consequently, the council took the extraordinary action Friday of voting to direct City Clerk Mike Carey to file the vetoed ordinance with the county as a place-holder pending the Dec. 11 vote.

Carey told the council he cannot guarantee that county officials will accept the vetoed ordinance as “adopted.” A county official also said it was unlikely the ordinance would be accepted.

Hahn vetoed the ordinance on Wednesday, just hours after the council had approved it by a 9-4 vote. The mayor said he believed it was too early to change the term-limit law adopted eight years ago by voters. He also expressed concern that the measure would cause voter backlash against other issues on the ballot, including a $600-million bond measure for new police and fire facilities.

Council President Alex Padilla said he voted to override the veto because he believes voters should be given the opportunity to decide the issue for themselves.

“My intention from the beginning was to give voters an option,” Padilla said. “People may agree or disagree on term limits, but without allowing something to be put on the ballot, you don’t allow voters to express themselves.”

Those voting against the override were Ruth Galanter, Janice Hahn, Tom LaBonge, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine. Perry and Zine had previously supported putting the measure on the ballot.

Councilman Hal Bernson, who had also backed the measure, was not at Friday’s meeting.