December 11, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

SMa.r.t.-Term Limits: The Heart of Democracy

A Santa Monica City Councilmember and the leader of Santa Monica’s Transparency project are circulating a petition to put the brakes on perennial City Council members. The initiative proposed by Sue Himmelrich and Mary Marlow holds the ability to be transformative in a city that rarely sees new faces on its City Council. The Santa Monica City Council has refused to limit how long a council member can hold office, and it often appears that members of that august body are “homesteading” their city council seats.

Santa Monica City Council limited the amount of time that their appointed commissioners and board members can serve in their voluntary roles (three four-year terms) in 2013. However, they have failed to adopt the same rules for their tenure. Once elected, the power of incumbency trumps all challengers who wish to serve, by letting those who are in office remain in office perpetually. That’s why thirty-six states have limits on the amount of time an elected official can serve in a single office. In California, term limits exist for all principal statewide offices. In our area, Culver City, West Hollywood, and Malibu are among those who limit the amount of time council members can be in office.

Why not Santa Monica? Term limits have existed since the ancient councils in Athens and Sparta. According to historian Garrett Fagan, office holding in the Roman Republic was based on “limited tenure of office” which ensured that “authority circulated frequently,” helping to prevent corruption. From antiquity to the early American Republic our leaders felt that the rotation of power was essential. George Mason wrote, “nothing is so essential to the preservation of a Republican government as a periodic rotation.” Mercy Otis Warren, a female political writer during the American Revolution, warned that the Constitution did not provide “for a rotation, nor anything to prevent the perpetuity of office in the same hands for life; which by little well-timed bribery, will probably be done.”

A SMa.r.t. look at history suggests that term limits are reasonable and essential for an influx of new ideas into government. While many in Santa Monica argued for two four-year terms as the maximum an elected official should serve, the makers of the initiative petition now circulating throughout our city wisely chose a maximum of three four-year terms. The initiative matches the term limits mandated in the City of Los Angeles for their council members. It allows the women and men elected to navigate the halls of government and become competent lawmakers. It does not allow them to become thoroughly entrenched in their positions. Limiting the time an official can serve is a “mechanism in place to bring fresh perspectives and new energy to the council,” said Lauren Meister, a West Hollywood resident who helped spearhead WeHo’s term limits campaign. “It opens the door to broader public participation in the legislative process in our city, which benefits everyone,” Meister said in a statement.

The prime opposition to Himmelrich and Marlow’s initiative appears to be the same power brokers who have pulled strings behind the scenes in our city for decades. This group also encompasses those who are currently residing as perennial “homesteaders” in city council chairs. In the past 25 years, only two incumbents have been voted out of office in the City by the Bay. It appears that the only way an incumbent can lose a seat in Santa Monica is by retiring or passing away while in office. That’s wrong. The same entrenched ideas and positions lead to stagnant government and an eventual loss of innovation. Also, the outcries against the potential for a corrupt government become louder as the same people reside in office and refuse to give way to the fresh viewpoints of new candidates. Yes, money is also a culprit in Santa Monica elections. $200,000 is now the norm for financing a municipal campaign, and that issue needs to be dealt with as well. However, we need to take steps to “Febreeze,” the city council and the term limits initiative is the first of several vital steps that will lead to better governance by the people and for the people in the City of Santa Monica.

SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) Daniel Jansenson Architect, Building and Fire Life-Safety Commissioner, Samuel Tolkin Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Ron Goldman FAIA, Thane Roberts AIA, Mario Fonda-Bonardi AIA, Planning Commissioner, Phil Brock, Arts Commissioner.

<>Related Posts

SM.a.r.t Column: Climbing The Vertical Learning Curve

December 8, 2024

December 8, 2024

The city is facing a financial crisis, the roots of which stretch back decades but have been made worse by...

SM.a.r.t Column: It’s Time To Inspect Balconies

November 24, 2024

November 24, 2024

About nine years ago, a fifth-floor balcony in a Berkeley apartment building collapsed, tragically killing several students gathered on it...

S.M.a.r.t Column: Your City is Broke

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

On December 10, the new City council will be seated fresh from their dominant win in the recent elections. There...

SM.a.r.t Column: Moving Ahead to the Future

November 10, 2024

November 10, 2024

As we write this, the election results are still trickling in. We’ll leave the deep analysis to others, but the...

Opinion: Fact Check: Why Vote Yes on Measure QS

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Despite living in a famously progressive region, Santa Monicans are not immune from the same political misinformation and disinformation that...

SM.a.r.t Column: Lack of Oversight and No Accountability

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

S.M.a.r.t. periodically invites guest columnists to write opinion articles on topics of particular interests to our readers. Below is an...

SM.a.r.t Column: “Help! I’ve Fallen, and I …!!”, Cries Santa Monica!

October 25, 2024

October 25, 2024

Maybe fallen, but slipping for sure from being a desirable beachfront community that served all equally, the local residents who...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Vote

October 13, 2024

October 13, 2024

In a polarized country or City every vote counts. Regardless of which side of any issue or candidate you support,...

SM.a.r.t Column: Fact-Checking Election-Season Windbaggery

October 6, 2024

October 6, 2024

Claim: The state is requiring Santa Monica to build 9,000 apartments.Answer: Partially true, partially false. Santa Monica has a pretty...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Can Help Save Lives and Revitalize Santa Monica’s Economy

September 29, 2024

September 29, 2024

We wholeheartedly endorse the candidates below for Santa Monica City Council. Their leading campaign platform is for increased safety in...

SM.a.r.t Column: Crime in Santa Monica: A Growing Concern and the Need for Prioritizing Public Safety

September 22, 2024

September 22, 2024

By Michael Jolly Over the past six months, Santa Monica has experienced a concerning rise in crime, sparking heated discussions...

SM.a.r.t Column: Ten New Commandments

September 15, 2024

September 15, 2024

Starting last week,  the elementary school students of Louisiana will all face mandatory postings of the biblical Ten Commandments in...

SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica’s Next City Council

September 8, 2024

September 8, 2024

In the next general election, this November 5th, Santa Monica residents will be asked to vote their choices among an...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part II: The Affordability Crisis: Unmasking California’s RHNA Process and Its Role in Gentrification

September 2, 2024

September 2, 2024

Affordability: An Income and Available Asset Gap Issue, Not a Supply Issue (Last week’s article revealed how state mandates became...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part 1: The Affordability Crisis: Unmasking California’s RHNA Process and Its Role in Gentrification

August 26, 2024

August 26, 2024

In the world of economic policy, good intentions often pave the way to unintended consequences. Nowhere is this more evident...