Voters OK measure on term-limit change by a wide margin

A measure to change California’s strict term limits for state lawmakers won big Tuesday night, two decades after the state’s original law was approved by voters.

Proposition 28, supported by a coalition of labor, business and good-government groups and the state Democratic Party, will reduce the time a citizen can serve in the Legislature from 14 years to 12, but allow a member to serve the entire time in one house. Under the 1990 ballot initiative that created legislative term limits in California, lawmakers were allowed to serve no more than six years in the Assembly and eight years in the state Senate.

Prop. 28 took a big lead early Tuesday night and held it, winning by close to a 2-to-1 ratio. The measure had been polling well — it led by 22 points in a Field Poll released last week.

During a fairly low-key campaign, supporters of the measure argued that the original law — one of the nation’s most stringent — failed to realize its goals of creating an independent citizen Legislature. Instead, they said, the 1990 ballot measure ultimately resulted in an inexperienced body that ceded much of its power to lobbyists.

While critics of the proposed changes called the measure a “scam” that would actually increase the amount of time most lawmakers spend in the Capitol, proponents said it is simple and straightforward.

“We’ve now had almost two generations of lawmakers termed out because of the current law … and it’s very clear now that we are facing a broken status quo,” said Yes on 28 spokesman Gabriel Sanchez. “Because of the way the current system works, (lawmakers) tend to spend more time looking for their next job versus focusing on the job at hand.”

With Prop. 28, he said, more lawmakers will be “focused on policy instead of politics.”

Opponents of Prop. 28 raised nearly $610,000 this year to defeat the measure, most of it in the last week of the campaign from out-of-state donors who support term limits in general. Jon Fleischman, a spokesman for the small No on 28 campaign, said the measure will result in more career politicians, rather than citizens from all walks of life holding office.

“The public is being fooled into thinking this measure strengthens term limits when it does the exact opposite,” he said.

Supporters, meanwhile, raised $2.2 million from labor groups, private businesses and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.