The SF Chronicle reports that Prop. 93, the Term Limits extension promoted by Democratic Leaders Don Perata and Fabian Nunez, is going down in flames.
If this holds they will each be looking for new jobs as they are termed out.
“California voters rejected a ballot measure to cut the time lawmakers could serve in the Legislature by two years but give current incumbents a windfall term extension, according to early returns.
With about 96 percent of the precincts reporting, 53 percent of voters were opposed to the measure while 47 percent were in favor.
Proposition 93 was proposed by the Democratic leaders of the Legislature and supported by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said the state’s current term limits are too restrictive.
Lawmakers now can serve a total of 14 years – no more than six years in the Assembly (three two-year terms) and eight years in the Senate (two four-year terms) – according to rules set by state voters in 1990.
Under Prop. 93, they would be allowed to serve a total of 12 years – either in one house or the other, or a combination of the Assembly and Senate.
Opponents called the initiative a power grab because it also would allow legislators who would be termed out of office this year under current rules to serve an additional six years in the Assembly or an extra four years in the Senate.
Two of those lawmakers are the leaders of the Legislature – Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and Senate leader Don Perata, D-Oakland.
While supporters and opponents of Prop. 93 carried on a spirited campaign, it took place largely outside the attention of most voters, who were not aware of the measure or its ramifications until the weeks before the election.”
To read the entire story simply click here.
Gilbert comment: It is sad that having a huge special interest cash advantage in Santa Ana overcame underfunded local watchdog efforts to limit Terms in office by the Santa Ana city council yesterday. I would suggest those seeking to change the current council press on to find qualified candidates who can take on the establishment this November. It takes a strong committment to unseat incumbents but you can prevail. We shocked the county with our 2002 Revolution in Mission Viejo.
Email response:
Terms limits is how we got rid of Willie Brown – or so I thought. Now he is trying to return as Perata and Nunez.
Another email rreply:
Thank God! We will be rid of Perata and Nunez!
From another reader:
Hi Larry,
In the future maybe you could not mention “Republican Governor Schwarzenegger” and instead you could say “Democrat ally Governor Schwarzenegger”.
Just a suggestion.
Take care,
Matt Sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Matt: I did not mention the governor in my part of the post. That text, which is in quotations, is from my source, the San Francisco Chronicle
And from the governor himself as quoted in the Sac Bee:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was a late endorsement of the failed ballot measure to extend terms for the current legislative leadership, said Wednesday that it was time to “move on” following the defeat of Proposition 93.
Gilbert, me thinks you suffer from delusions of grandeur when you say the county was shocked by what happened in MV. My bet is 98% of county residents neither know what happened or care. Time to put things in perspective, please!
Anon 3:19p.m.
I will gladly “put things in perspective” for you.
Question. Do you have any idea as the election results of incumbents running for re-election in city council races? At one time I ran the numbers in OC and found that 90 percent of the city council members who chose to run again prevailed. They had name recognition and financial support from suppliers as well as firms wishing to do business with the cities. They also had first dibs on slate mailers and usually received endorsements from other elected officials in the buddy system of politics. “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”
In Mission Viejo, one of the safest cities in America, you really need to have some solid issues to unseat a currently serving official. We did it. And unlike the successful Recall effort in Fullerton several years ago we did not have a “utility tax” issue that angered the residents.
That said we removed a long time mayor and mayor pro tem trashing them by a vote of three to one. They were so embarrased that while still living in the city no longer come to any of our meetings.
The Nov 2002 editorial in the OC Register called our victory “the Revolution in Mission Viejo.” If you wish to see it and can’t get it from the archives send me an email and I will mail you a hard copy.
As Paul Harvey says, “you now know the rest of the story.”