Huntington Park residents to vote on lifetime-term limits for city officials

Huntington Park voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to implement new term limits for city council members through a ballot measure.

For the SELA city, the measure included in this midterm election would change the current system for lifetime term limits. 

If approved by its residents, the ballot measure would limit each city council member to a maximum of just two lifetime terms on the Huntington Park City Council instead of the current limit of three lifetime terms. 

The proposed measure also establishes specific rules for how terms are calculated for partial terms and by-district elections. 

A “Yes” vote on the Measure will allow the following:

• End career politicians: Once a council member serves two terms, they are done for life. No more sitting out an election just to reset the clock.

• Encourage new leadership: Lifetime limits guarantee opportunities for new voices, new ideas, and regular citizens to represent our neighbourhoods.

• Protect fair representation: These rules apply to everyone equally, even as we transition to by-district elections. Moving from one district to another will not allow a politician to bypass the limit.

“Our current system is broken. Currently, Huntington Park has a provision that allows politicians to serve three terms, step aside for just one election cycle, and then run all over again. This rotating system creates career politicians and prevents new leaders from stepping up to serve our community,” was the shared argument in favor of the measure.

Supporters of the proposal include Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Vice Mayor Jonathan Sanabria, and City Council Member Nancy Martiz.