The Chula Vista City Council on Tuesday night asked the City Attorney’s Office to explore ways to close the city’s term limits loophole.
Currently a City Council member can run for office after serving two full four-year terms and waiting at least a year before seeking a third.
City Attorney Glen Googins and his staff will gather facts and study how other cities deal with term limits. Googins said he will have a report ready for council to review within the next 45 to 60 days.
The Charter Review Commission will then explore measures that could strengthen the language in the charter regarding term limits.
Mayor Mary Casillas Salas proposed the idea saying it’s time to review the city’s policy on term limits.
Casillas Salas wants the charter commission to consider a proposition for a ballot measure that will prohibit a council member who has served two full-terms from running for a third term on the council, or require a four- year cooling off period, allowing a council person to run four years after they have finished their first two terms.
Casillas Salas rejoined the council in 2012 after she was termed out in 2006.
Councilman John McCann said altering the charter would be a “significant change” with “large implications” especially with the historic move to district elections.
McCann’s concern over imposing stricter term limits is the city’s status when it comes to council members sitting on chairs and commissions.
“Many cities in the county don’t have term limits,” he said. “And where that really is a challenge to us is when you look at SANDAG and you look at TransNet and you look at MTS and you look at who are the chairs and who are on the committees, it tends to be based on seniority and if we aren’t able to build seniority then other cities will be able to have that.”
McCann was the one who suggested to the council that the City Attorney’s Office look over the referral before sending it to the Charter Review Commission because he said he wanted to get all the facts.
Last year when she was running for mayor, Councilwoman Pamela Bensoussan said she was OK with hard term limits after eight years for elected officials. However, at Tuesday night’s council meeting, she said the current system is acceptable to her.
“I think our current system is unusual and unique and works well,” she said.
She also said she isn’t in favor of hard term limits for two terms or lifetime term limits.
Bensoussan suggested that term limits be imposed after a council member has served three consecutive terms. She also said she’s always been in support at looking at the city’s term limits.
Councilman Steve Miesen said he is not fond of hard term limits but expressed a concern over the cost of getting such a proposition on the ballot.
“I too am not a very fond believer in terms limits because you just start being effective and then you become a lame duck,” he said.
