Riordan Opposes Ballot Measure to Ease Term Limits

Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Riordan called Tuesday for the defeat of a March ballot initiative to loosen California’s strict term-limit laws, even as he said he has an open mind about extending state lawmakers’ terms.

Organizers of the drive to defeat Proposition 45 kicked off their campaign by naming Riordan honorary co-chairman and insisted they oppose other ways of weakening California’s strict term limits. A 1990 initiative limits Assembly members to three two-year terms, and senators to two four-year terms.

At a news conference with foes of Proposition 45, Riordan said there is nothing “magic” about the current limits. But he called Proposition 45 a “phony” way of getting around the law.

“Legislators may serve people better by continuing their current terms or by extending their terms,” Riordan said. “I am open to debate on this subject in the future. But the voters should decide in a straightforward way how long their elected officials should serve. Proposition 45 is not a straightforward way of doing this.”

Riordan also took a cue from Assemblyman Rod Pacheco (R-Riverside), who spoke out against the initiative, and noted that the number of women and Latinos in the Legislature has grown significantly in the decade since term limits were approved. Riordan said that any tinkering with term limits should ensure “empowerment” of women and minorities in the statehouse.

Lew Uhler, president of the conservative National Tax Limitation Committee and leader of the campaign against Proposition 45, welcomed Riordan to the effort. But he distanced himself from Riordan’s suggestion that there may be another way to weaken California’s term limits.

“Nobody has made a case to date that suggests that those are not proper terms,” Uhler said of the six-year cap for Assembly members and eight-year maximum for senators.

Proposition 45 would permit incumbents to extend their tenure by two two-year terms in the Assembly and one four-year term in the Senate if they gather signatures of 20% of the voters in their districts supporting their desire to face voters again.

Current and former lawmakers are backing the ballot measure and are receiving money from unions and other politically active interest groups in Sacramento.

Backers of the measure have raised $2.4 million so far, with the Service Employees International Union and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters each giving $100,000. The campaign has received $50,000 from the California Federation of Teachers, the trial lawyers’ organization, E&J; Gallo Winery, insurance company Mercury General Corp. and Ameriquest Capital Corp.

“Special-interest lobbyists are trying to pull a fast one,” Riordan said.

The campaign against Proposition 45 probably will be unable to match the funding of the initiative’s backers. Opponents include original backers of the term-limit initiative and representatives of U.S. Term Limits, an organization that has promoted term limits nationally. U.S. Term Limits’ financiers have included wealthy Libertarians. At the news conference, Uhler jokingly asked Riordan to contribute to the campaign. The wealthy former mayor said he would decide later.

“This is political pandering at its worst,” Karin Caves, spokeswoman for the Yes on 45 campaign, said of Riordan’s opposition to the March measure. “He is campaigning against Proposition 45 in order to lengthen his own political career. The guy’s motives are so transparent.”

All three Republicans seeking the GOP nomination for governor--Riordan, Secretary of State Bill Jones and businessman Bill Simon Jr.--oppose Proposition 45. Gov. Gray Davis, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, has not taken a position.

Although Jones and Riordan have been sniping at one another about the depth of their support for term limits, both backed the term-limit initiative, Proposition 140, in 1990. As secretary of state, Jones was involved in defending term limits from legal attack.

After receiving a report of Riordan’s comments, Jones renewed his attack on Riordan: “This is a clear indication that Mayor Riordan is not ready for prime time. This is the third time he has changed his position on term limits. Does he support the current limit law or not?”