Temecula To Consider Term Limits For City Councilmembers, Again

TEMECULA, CA — Should Temecula City Councilmembers be allowed to serve as many terms as voters elect them, or should limits be placed on the number of years these civic officials can be seated?

That will be a question posed during Tuesday night's City Council meeting — and it won't be the first time the issue has come up.

The most recent discussion about term limits came at the Jan. 24 City Council meeting when Councilmember Brenden Kalfus requested the matter be placed on a future agenda.

As a result, during Tuesday's meeting, the councilmembers will discuss whether to place term limits on the local ballot for voters to decide. The questions of what the term limits should be and whether they would be for the lifetimes of elected officials will also be hashed out.

If the council moves forward, city staff would draft the proposed ballot ordinance.

On Feb. 8, 2022, Temecula City Council voted 5-0 to form a sub-committee to hammer out the details of what a possible 2022 ballot initiative on term limits would look like. Councilmembers Jessica Alexander and Maryann Edwards were appointed to serve on the committee. The two voiced opposing ideas on term limits: Alexander brought the idea of term limits forward while Edwards said placing term limits on councilmembers takes away the voice of Temecula voters. Citizens should have the opportunity to vote for — or vote out — any councilmember, Edwards said.

Edwards was voted out of office in November after serving more than four consecutive City Council terms. Temecula voters instead chose Kalfus for the District 3 seat.

The ballot initiative never happened.

Edwards was a fixture in the city. She was appointed to the council in 2005 to fill a temporary vacancy created when then-Councilmember Jeff Stone was elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. She subsequently ran for reelection four consecutive times and was victorious in every race. Her 2022 defeat marked her fifth Temecula City Council race.

Edwards sat on dozens of commissions, steering committees and boards, and weighed in on some of the city's most important issues.

Seven cities in Riverside County have established term limits for City Councilmembers: Corona, Hemet, Indian Wells, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta and Perris.

In Temecula, City Councilmembers can currently serve as many four-year terms as voters elect them.

Tuesday night's 6 p.m. City Council meeting takes place at City Hall, 41000 Main Street. Click here for the full agenda.