TERM EXTENSIONS FACE BATTLE BACKERS ADMIT PROPOSAL ISN'T POPULAR.

Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer

Supporters of an ethics reform package that would extend the terms of Los Angeles City Council members acknowledge Monday they face a daunting task in winning voter approval if the measure is placed on the Nov. 7 ballot.

``We recognize the public cynicism,'' said Cindy O'Connor, past president of the League of Women Voters, who is heading up the campaign committee for the proposal. ``We know it's an uphill battle. We've been reading the editorials and letters to the editor.

``But, we believe it is important to talk to the public about this.''

O'Connor and Ron Gastelum, executive vice president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, which is a co-sponsor of the measure, held the first of what they promise will be a series of educational forums on the issue leading up to the election. About 15 people showed up for the event at the chamber's downtown headquarters.

The City Council last week ordered the measure drafted for placement on the fall ballot. Final action must be taken by Aug. 4.

O'Connor and Gastelum said they believe the public is willing to consider the arguments behind the proposals as a way to open city government through stricter controls of lobbyists and campaign reporting by independent expenditure committees and offering a third term to officials.

``It's not that it takes eight years to learn the job, but it takes more than that to do an effective job,'' O'Connor said.

She recalled a recent City Council debate involving the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on water in the Owens Valley, and noted that none of the elected officials had been in office when the original deal was struck.

``I sat there horrified,'' O'Connor said. ``We need to have people in office so they can see the results of their decision.''

She acknowledged, however, that many elected officials were responsible for creating the problem -- by forgetting why they were elected in the first place and to whom they are accountable.

Gastelum said the chamber is concerned that so many decisions made by local government are done without adequate thought or study.

``We aren't trying to stop the musical chairs of government,'' Gastelum said. ``We are trying to slow down the music. What the chamber is interested in is the local economy. But beyond that, we are concerned about our quality of life and how that affects the economy.''

In addition to adding a third four-year term for the council, the package would prohibit lobbyists from sitting on any city commission, ban commissioners from lobbying, prohibit contributions from lobbyists and require a clearer registration process of paid lobbyists.

[e-mail]

[phone]