HomeMy WebLinkAbout20 TERM LIMITS 07-05-94E N DA___.
NO. 20
7-5-94
i nt e r- C o m
DATE:
JUNE 28, 1994
TO'
FROM:
SUBJECT:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
TERM LIMITS
Mayor Saltarelli asked that the attached ordinance be discussed by the
City Council. The ordinance is the same as the two term limit ordinance
adopted by the City Council at its June 20, 1994 meeting, except that
Section 1307(b) provides for a three term limit.
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ORDINANCE NO. 1132
AN ORDINANCE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA,
LIMITING CONSECUTIVE TERMS OF MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
Pursuant to California Elections Code 4017, the people of
the City of Tustin hereby ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF LIMITATIONS ON CONSECUTIVE
TERMS OF MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
Section 1307 of Chapter 3 of Article 1 of the
Tustin City Code is hereby added to read as follows:
"1307 Limitation on Consecutive Terms of Members of the
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Council.
(a) Findinqs and Purpose.
The people hereby find and declare:
(1) The Founders established a system of
representative government based upon free, fair, and
competitive elections. The increased concentration of
political power in the hands of incumbent representatives has
made our electorial system less free, less competitive, and
less representative.
(2) The ability of legislators to serve an
unlimited number of terms contributes heavily to the extremely
high number of incumbents who are reelected. This unfair
incumbent advantage discourages qualified candidates from
seeking public office and creates a class of career
politicians, instead of the citizen representatives envisioned
by the Founders. These career politicians become
representatives of the bureaucracy, rather than of the people
whom they are elected to represent.
(3) The purpose of this Ordinance is to
restore a free and democratic system of fair elections, and to
encourage qualified candidates to Reek public office, by
limiting the powers of incumbency, by placing limitations upon
the number of coDsecutive terms which may be served by members
of the City Council.
(b) Limitations on Consecutive Terms for Council
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Members.
(1) No person shall be elected as a member of the
City Council for more than three (3) full consecutive terms.
Any member of the City Council who has served three (3)
consecutive terms shall not be reelected as a member of the
City Council for at least two (2) years from the last date of
the second consecutive term.
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(2) This Ordinance shall not operate to shorten any
current term of members of the City Council presently in
office.
(c) ADDlicabi!it¥ of Other Laws.
In the absence of state legislation to allow general
law cities to establish term limits, section 1307(b) will not
be binding on the City until general law cities are authorized
by state legislaticn to enforce term limits. The voters,
however, can reject candidates who seek public office for more
than three (3) consecutive terms now.
(d) Severability.
If any section, subsection, subdivision, sentence,
clause, phrase, or portion to this Ordinance, is for any
reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision
of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this
Ordinance. The people of the City of Tustin hereby declare
that they would have adopted this Ordinance, and each section,
subsection, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion
thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more
sections, subsections, subdivisions, sentences, clauses,
phrases, or portions thereof be declared invalid or
unconstitutional.
SECTION 2. EFFECTI\~ DATE.
Pursuant 5o Elections Code 4017, the Ordinance shall
become effective upcn the City Council's and the City Clerk's
certification that %his measure has passed by a majority vote
of the people.
ADOPTED by a vc%e of the people of the City of Tustin on
the day of , and certified by
the Tustin City Council on the day of
1994. '
ATTEST:
THOMAS R. SALTARELLI, Mayor
MARY E. WYNN, City C~erk