Looser term limits for L.A. city officials upheld

A court of appeal has upheld Proposition R, the 2006 ballot measure that loosened term limits for the Los Angeles City Council, according to a spokesman for City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

Proposition R gave the 15-member council a third, four-year term. Had the three-judge panel struck down the ballot measure, the upcoming municipal election would have been thrown into chaos -– a good or bad thing, depending on how you view the City Council.

Five council members who are running in the March election are doing so because Proposition R will let them stay another four years -– as long as they are re-elected, that is. A court defeat of Proposition R would have forced those council members to look for other jobs, and caused a whole new crop of candidates to scramble for those suddenly vacant seats.

Such a turn of events would have created the most unpredictable election at City Hall in nearly a decade. But that scenario is now off the table, unless the state Supreme Court intervenes (which is pretty unlikely).

Proposition R, by the way, does not apply to citywide elected posts: city controller, city attorney and mayor. Most incumbents at City Hall are running unopposed or have challengers with virtually no money.

-- David Zahniser

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times