Perpetual fraud
Vote against the City Council's term-limits deceit

LA Daily News

MEASURE R - members of the Los Angeles City Council's deceitful ploy to give themselves four more years on the public dole - will go before voters Nov. 7, even though it's likely to be ruled unconstitutional.
For this you can thank the 2nd District Court of Appeal, the City Council and yourself - because it's your tax dollars that keep this cynical scheme alive.

Since its inception, it's been obvious that Measure R violates the California Constitution's requirement that ballot measures be limited to a single issue.

But the council's members knew voters would reject giving them three four-year terms instead of two, so they combined their term-limits plan with a package of so-called "ethics reforms" that in fact do nothing to clean up City Hall.

The council is now raising huge bundles of cash from developers, contractors, unions and other insiders who live handsomely on the favorable treatment they get at City Hall.

The council's members believe they found a clever political strategy to trick the public. And they've hired high-priced private lawyers at taxpayer expense to try to get around the state constitution's single-issue requirement for ballot measures.

The first judge to hear the case ruled not only that the measure was unconstitutional, but also deceitfully worded. So the council took its case to the appellate court, which left in the dishonest wording and left the measure on the ballot - without actually ruling on the constitutional issues.

The court's action is an insult to voters. There's nothing urgent about this measure; there's not even an honest argument that can be made in its favor.

With all its ill-gotten campaign funds, the council will try to blow smoke over voters' eyes, but how can anyone mount an effective opposition when the measure itself is already the subject of a legal fight?

That's why it is so important that each and every one of us makes sure our friends, family and co-workers knows that it's up to them to stop the council's abuse of its power.

Vote against political cynicism. Vote no on Measure R on Nov. 7.