L.A. officials could gain time in office if election dates change

A proposal to boost voter turnout in Los Angeles by holding city elections at the same time as state and national contests could deliver a special benefit to elected city officials: 18 extra months in office.

For months, civic leaders have pushed for city decision-makers to move their elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered ones. If the date of municipal elections is changed — possibly in 2020 or 2022 — Mayor Eric Garcetti and 24 other elected officials could receive a one-time opportunity to stretch a normal four-year term in office to five-and-a-half years.

City elections are now held in March of odd-numbered years, with runoff contests held in May and terms ending in June. Extending the time in office could allow the city to transition to even-numbered years, with terms ending in December, according to a report released Wednesday.

A committee headed by Council President Herb Wesson is scheduled to meet Friday to examine the steps needed to rearrange the election schedule. One possibility would be to hold a special election toward decade’s end, with winners serving a truncated, 18-month term, according to the report from city policy analysts. Another option, they said, would be to lengthen terms of office-holders elected in 2015 and 2017.

Wesson, who represents parts of Koreatown and South Los Angeles, plans to hold public hearings on various initiatives to increase voter turnout. He would not say whether he wanted to give elected officials extra time in office.

“Improving voter turnout is a complicated process, and we want to proceed with careful consideration,” he said in a statement.

Under the existing schedule, Wesson would be forced off the council by term limits in June 2019, assuming he is reelected in March. A switch to even-numbered election years could allow Wesson to hold the seat until December 2020.

Councilman Bernard C. Parks opposes the move to even-numbered election years and predicted voters would view any effort by politicians to extend their terms as a “slippery way” to get around term limits.

“People who look at this [proposal] will see it as just another gimmick to benefit those who are in office,” said Parks, who leaves office next summer.

Turnout became a major issue last year, when only 23% of registered voters cast ballots in the mayoral runoff election. Since then, officials have examined various strategies to boost participation, such as random drawings with cash prizes at the polls.

Two separate citizen panels have called for L.A. to change the election dates, saying more voters would show up when higher-profile contests for governor or president are on the ballot. Backers of the change say the proposal would bring more blacks and Latinos to the polls.

Switching the election date would require a number of complicated steps. Voters would need to sign off on the move, either next year or in 2017. Los Angeles County’s election agency would probably need to take over the running of the consolidated election. And city officials would need to determine how much more the change would cost.

The county has had a policy since 1987 of barring additional jurisdictions — cities, school districts, water agencies — from being added to its statewide, even-year ballot.

That isn’t expected to change until the county moves to a new voting system that can accommodate a lengthier ballot.

A new system is scheduled to be fully operational in 2018, one year after the city’s next mayoral election.

Some election officials say the city should not make the change until after 2018, to ensure that the county’s new system works smoothly.

david.zahniser@latimes.com