Term limit end-arounds in Arcadia and Sierra Madre (Pasadena Star Newslink): Term limits for City Council members became all the rage in the San Gabriel Valley when newspapers revealed that pols who’d overstayed their welcomes were ofttimes beholden to special interests at odds with the citizenry. Extended stays near the honeypot have predictable effects on the untrustworthy and ethically challenged.
The 2010 City of Bell corruption scandal serves as a cautionary example of what could occur when the same old dudes are returned to office here in Arcadia and Sierra Madre too often. In case these memories have faded, among the unfortunate consequences to Bell were elected officials stealing $5.5 million in taxpayer dough, grinding vote fraud, all done while lavishing $800,000 in yearly salaries upon themselves.
Obviously, vigilance on this matter remains important. Recently two attempts to skirt term limits laid upon councilmembers in Arcadia and Sierra Madre became hot topics, with that latter effort still underway.
Writing in a constituent newsletter, Arcadia Councilmember April Verlato described the bogus attempt by a very termed out Councilmenber Sho Tay to maintain a grinning presence at the Peacock Palace.
“The City of Arcadia Charter limits City Council to 2 consecutive terms. The Mayor of Arcadia believes that the Charter does not apply to him because he was ‘appointed’ to City Council in 2018 when he ran unopposed for District 3… This argument is flawed. Mayor Tay was ‘appointed’ in 2018 pursuant to Election Code Section 10299 which states: The person appointed, if any, shall qualify and take office and serve exactly as if elected at a municipal election for the office.”
When the nascent Three-Term Tay did not get an agreeable response, he sued Arcadia. Fortunately a judge recognized that term limits do have legal validity there, and told Sho he had to go. Soon-to-be former Mayor Tay may still play a role in his local government, but one limited mostly to appearances at the public comment podium.
In Sierra Madre the situation is different. Residents in 1990, by an overwhelming 1,629 to 242 vote, passed a measure restricting City Council members to two four-year terms. Unfortunately, being an advisory-only measure, it was never legally enforceable. And while no politician in Sierra Madre since dared to attempt a three-peat, weasel room remained. Eugene Goss has now crossed that line and filed for a third term.
One activist resident wrote a column for the city’s adjudicated newspaper on this matter. To date it hasn’t been published. My guess is the paper’s financial dependence on city legal advertising played a role. Here is a brief excerpt:
“When Mayor Goss ran eight years ago he said, ‘I will work hard to protect the Monastery field from irresponsible development. Democracy must be responsible to the people who elect us and follow the will of the people and the General Plan… It is very important that the public consensus rules. A political science professor should believe that, or he shouldn’t be a political science professor at all!’ Well, Professor Goss, it appears you shouldn’t be teaching political science, and you shouldn’t be running for an unprecedented third term. You certainly are not following the ‘will of the people.’”
The hypocrisy shimmers. How often have we seen politicians bluntly contradict their campaign blandishments once safely in office?
During public comment at a recent City Council meeting, Mayor Goss shut off the microphone on a resident who had raised a new Monastery development legal issue. He then abruptly adjourned the meeting and sent everyone attending to the lobby for a five-minute timeout.
Nobody recalls anything quite that bizarre happening before. It seems like it had been scripted somehow. And to think Mr. Goss hasn’t even been made Mayor for Life yet.
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