COUNTY BOARD TO CONSIDER TERM LIMITS BALLOT PROPOSALS REMAIN TOO LIBERAL, CRITICS SAY.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer In what critics are calling an ``end run'' around a citizens term-limit initiative, the Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to put loose term limits on Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County's elected officials. The move comes a year after a petition to limit the supervisors to two four-year terms retroactive Having reference to things that happened in the past, prior to the occurrence of the act in question. A retroactive or retrospective law is one that takes away or impairs vested rights acquired under existing laws, creates new obligations, imposes new duties, or attaches a to November 2000 was certified too late because of mistakes made by County Clerk The term "county clerk" has been commonly applied, in several English-speaking countries, to an official of a county government. United States Most counties in the U.S. Conny McCormack. The new measure would limit county elected officials to three four-year terms beginning December 2002. Previous elections wouldn't count against the limits. The group that gathered nearly 300,000 signatures, Voters Organized for Trustworthy Elections in Los Angeles County, sued the county to get its two-term measure placed on the March 2002 ballot. Last month, the group reached an agreement with the county to place two measures on the March ballot. Voters now will likely get a chance to limit either the supervisors only or the supervisors, sheriff, district attorney and assessor to three four-year terms beginning in December 2002. If both measures pass, the one with the greater percentage of support will become law. ``It was simple politics that kept this from being placed on the ballot,'' said Ralph Rossum, president of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government In 1973, businesswoman, lawyer, feminist and activist Edessa Rose founded the Rose Institute of State and Local Government as a part of Claremont McKenna College to address issues specific to California’s state and local governments. at Claremont McKenna College A member of the Claremont Colleges, Claremont McKenna College is a small, highly selective, private coeducational, liberal arts college enrolling about 1100 students with a curricular emphasis on government, economics, and public policy. . ``They stalled this to get it by the election deadline. ``And (now) ... they are end-running it again by diluting it substantially.'' Former La Crescenta resident Christopher Skinnell, chairman of VOTE-LAC, said he's disappointed in what has come from his group's efforts. ``It's obviously upsetting,'' he said. Political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior scholar at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission School of Policy, Planning and Development, said the new measures will allow some elected officials to remain in office for up to 14 years. ``I think a lot of this has to do with short-circuiting a more draconian measure,'' she said. ``For them, it's a lot more pleasant to contemplate three more terms.'' County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. said he's not a term-limit fan but feels obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to put the measure on the ballot and give the public an opportunity to vote. ``Term limits, especially in Sacramento, have been very detrimental to the state's and the public' interests,'' he said. ``I don't think it's served anybody's interests, except the special interests.'' He said county elected offices are very complex jobs, and it takes time for officials to learn the issues and make informed decisions. ``What you are finding in Sacramento and City Hall is that by the time they get their feet on the ground, they are ready to leave.'' |
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