Whittier Elections Reform
Two Measures.
One Simple Fix.
This November, Whittier voters get to decide: should there be a limit on how long someone can hold City Council office, and should our elections happen when the most voters can take part?
The Problem
Right now, nothing stops a City Council seat from becoming a seat for life.
Whittier has no limit on how many years someone can serve as Mayor or City Council Member. And Whittier holds its city elections in April, a date that lines up with nothing else on the calendar and draws far fewer voters than in November.
That combination means the same small group of voters, showing up on an off-cycle date, decides who leads City Hall, sometimes for decades at a time.
The Solution
Measures EV and EL fix both problems, and the City Council put them on the ballot itself, 5-0.
MEASURE EV
Measure EV moves Whittier's City Council elections to November, the same day voters already turn out for President, Governor, and every other statewide office.
MEASURE EL
Measure EL caps service as Mayor or City Council Member at 12 total years. It doesn't remove anyone currently in office. It simply guarantees that, going forward, every seat comes back to the voters on a predictable timeline.
Why It Matters
Without term limits, there's no requirement for anyone to earn voters' trust again through fresh competition. Measure EL changes that.
Greater Accountability
Running a stand-alone city election every April costs money Whittier wouldn't have to spend if its election were folded into the November election Los Angeles County is already conducting.
Save Taxpayer Dollars
Twelve-year term limits guarantee new energy and new ideas get a fair shot at City Hall, instead of one person holding a seat indefinitely.
Fresh Leadership
Long Beach, Commerce, Pico Rivera, Bell Gardens, and Montebello have all already passed nearly identical reforms, most by landslide margins.
Proven, Not Experimental
Proof It Works
Whittier wouldn't be the first city to make this change. It would be joining a clear regional trend.
Long Beach, a charter city just like Whittier, passed both election consolidation and term limits in the same election, by 75% and 71%, respectively. Cities across Los Angeles County have made the same call, and voters have said yes by wide margins every time.