Will La Palma See 20-Year Politicians?

In a tiny municipality wherever City Council members person mostly tally unopposed to clasp enactment positions, La Palma voters are connected way to summation metropolis assembly word limits and widen the careers of incumbent politicians.

Known arsenic Measure W, it could summation word limits of up to 20 years for incumbents. 

If approved, the measurement sets word limits up to 3 consecutive four-year presumption for section legislators – portion restarting the timepiece for assembly members already successful office. 

The latest results astatine 5 p.m. Monday showed astir 58% of voters successful favour of Measure W, holding 3,916 votes. About 42% of voters were opposed to it – a 1,083 voting margin. 

The propulsion for longer metropolis assembly word limits came backmost successful February from incumbent La Palma City Council members – thing metropolis officials assertion is needed to assistance support metropolis enactment arsenic information successful moving for nationalist bureau is low.

Those aforesaid metropolis assembly members chiefly funded the ‘Yes connected W’ campaign. 

It’s each happening successful a municipality that’s home to astir 15,000 residents – 10,000 of which are registered voters, according to the OC Registrar of Voters.

While 1 of Orange County’s smallest towns, La Palma is besides 1 of the past cities that doesn’t watercourse metropolis assembly meetings.

City of La Palma thoroughfare sign. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC

In a February metropolis assembly meeting, Mayor Marshall Goodman said “something needed to beryllium done” astir truthful galore officials moving unopposed.

He ran unopposed successful 2016. 

“It’s been astir 30 years since this taxable was past presented,” said Councilman Nitesh Patel astatine a July metropolis assembly meeting, referring to a ballot inaugural from 1996. “Many of the radical who lived successful La Palma backmost past whitethorn person moved out, but much importantly the circumstances person changed.”

At the aforesaid meeting, La Palma City Council Members voted 4-1 to enactment Measure W connected the November ballot.

Yet not each metropolis person was for the change.

In a Nov. 7 telephone interview, Councilwoman Janet Keo – the sole dissenting ballot connected putting the measurement earlier voters – said that “residents did not telephone for the word increase” and was alternatively pushed by her assembly colleagues.

Keo said her colleagues should absorption connected bigger issues similar expanding transparency and streaming their assembly meetings for residents. 

[Read: Why Won’t Officials successful Two OC Cities Video Livestream Their Public Meetings?]

“It’s deceptive and not transparent,” Keo said, referring to run signs positioning the ballot measurement arsenic an contented of nationalist information and calls to “reform government,” versus extending the careers of politicians.

Mayor Goodman – who acknowledged absorption from residents connected adding word limits during a February regular gathering – declined to remark erstwhile approached by a newsman astatine an Oct. 22 metropolis event. 

He said helium stood by his statements made astatine anterior metropolis assembly meetings, but did not respond to questions astir the city’s aboriginal whether oregon not Measure W is passed by voters.

Who Was Backing Measure W successful The La Palma Elections?

Campaign statements obtained from the metropolis via nationalist records petition amusement that the ‘Yes connected W’ run garnered $26,500 successful funding – astir of it coming from 2 sitting metropolis assembly members: Nitesh Patel and Debbie Baker. 

La Palma requires a nationalist records petition to spot run concern documents, which different cities station that information publically done an authoritative metropolis website.

According to the run concern information obtained done nationalist records requests, different metropolis assembly campaigner besides added funds to the campaign: Patel’s brother, Vikesh Patel – who secured La Palma’s District 3 spot this predetermination twelvemonth moving unopposed. He did not respond to calls for comment.

Councilman Nitesh Patel and his woman contributed $11,000 to assistance wage for mailers and fliers. Another idiosyncratic by the sanction of Prit Patel, who is retired besides with the aforesaid address, donated $2,500.

On the flip side, the ‘No connected W’ campaign has received astir $4,300 successful contributions, astir six times little than the run funded by incumbent metropolis assembly members.

After being called by a Voice of OC newsman connected Oct. 22, Councilman Patel refused to reply questions relating to Measure W and his fiscal backing. He besides declined answering telephone calls, texts and emails aboriginal successful the week.

Patel besides declined answering questions relating to metropolis assembly candidates successful this year’s election, including if household members moving side-by-side connected La Palma City Council requires further transparency erstwhile conducting concern astatine City Hall.

Councilwoman Baker, who besides kept her City Council spot this predetermination twelvemonth moving unopposed successful District 1, did not respond to calls from a Voice of OC reporter. 

She contributed $5,500 to assistance money the run to widen assembly word limits, successful which she is acceptable to service her 2nd term.

Councilman Mark Waldman besides did not respond to requests for comment.

What’s astatine Stake for Residents?

La Palma City Hall. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC

Under the city’s municipal code, La Palma City Council members tin lone service 2 consecutive four-year presumption and tin tally for bureau again aft a four-year absence, which was ratified by voters successful 1996.

In the city’s archetypal predetermination since switching to territory elections successful 2022, metropolis leaders projected updating the codification to let for 3 consecutive metropolis assembly presumption – which allows for a cleanable slate of existent City Council members and takes into effect starting adjacent year, according to the city’s website.

With a bulk of the City Council connected committee with Measure W, immoderate person pushed backmost connected what it could mean for La Palma.

Robert Carruth, a La Palma nonmigratory and caput of the ‘La Palma Residents for Fair Elections’ run – the enactment backing against the ballot measurement – said successful a telephone interrogation anterior to Election Night that metropolis officials are mostly “disconnected from the radical they represent.”

He added that assembly members are ignoring however residents rejected the conception of extending metropolis assembly word limits erstwhile brought up by La Palma City Council successful 2019 – thing some Mayor Marshall Goodman and Councilmember Patel archetypal advocated for backmost then.

Carruth said the determination is astir 1 thing. 

“Ultimately, I deliberation it’s a powerfulness grab.”

Hugo Rios is simply a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him astatine hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com oregon connected Twitter @hugoriosss.

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