Breaking News-Prop R is off the ballot!

Article Last Updated: 9/07/2006 11:56 AM




Measure to give City Council members an extra term in office ordered off the ballot

By Kerry Cavanaugh, Staff Writer
LA Daily News

A measure that would have given Los Angeles City Council members an extra term in office was ordered removed from the November ballot today by a Superior Court Judge.
In his order Judge Robert O'Brien said Proposition R, which also would have instituted some ethics reforms, violates the state constitution because it includes two separate issues in one measure.

But proponents said immediately that the city is considering a last-ditch effort to keep the measure on the Nov. 7 ballot.

"We are going to review the opinion. The city attorney is considering an appeal," said Liza White with the League of Women Voters, which proposed Prop. R along with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

A West Los Angeles resident, Neil A. Donner, had filed the lawsuit seeking to take Prop. R off the ballot. He was backed by the group U.S. Term Limits that supports term limits.

Attorneys for Donner charged Prop. R violated the state's constitutional requirement that ballot measures address a single issue.

They argued that Prop. R covered two issues: allowing City Council members to run for a third, four-year term and changing a number of lobbying and campaign finance disclosure requirements.

Opponents also argued the ethics reform were added to entice — or fool — voters into adopting the lengthening of term limits.

Charles H. Bell Jr. represented Donner and he called the judge's decision a win for voters.

"The issue of term limits stands on its own and deserves the right to be voted on up or down," said Bell.

"If presented separately, at least the history of this is that the public is really skeptical of extending terms when term limits are already in place.

"That's worthy of public debate rather than being couched in other measure intended to be more attractive."

---
Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh@dailynews.com