Although I now live in Irvine, I enjoyed living in Orange a few years back. When I return, I especially miss Watson\u2019s, which closed in 2022.<\/p>\n
I attended the public meeting at the Orange Public Library & History Center on Oct. 7 about Measure K<\/a> on the Nov. 3 ballot. It would transform Orange from a general law city to a charter city under Article XI<\/a> of the California Constitution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to 25 residents, City Manager Jarad Hildenbrand explained a charter would give Orange greater authority over local affairs. It would also add open-space protections and a balanced-budget rule.<\/p>\n Of particular interest to me, he brought up Charter Section 602<\/a>. It reads, \u201cThe City may not exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire private property for conveyance to another private party without the owner\u2019s consent,\u201d except in fulfilling a project of the city itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For decades the Register has fought against abusing eminent domain to take property from one private party and give it to another. I asked if current city law banned the practice. He said no.\u00a0<\/p>\n A key change would be term limits. Currently, the mayor may serve three consecutive two-year terms, and council members two consecutive four-year terms. Combined consecutive service in the two offices is limited to 14 years. After two years out of both offices, a person may return.<\/p>\n The charter would replace those consecutive-term limits with lifetime caps: two four-year terms for mayor and three four-year terms for council members.<\/p>\n Hildenbrand pointed to California Government Code Section 36502(b)<\/a>. It reads any change in term limits by a charter or general law city \u201cshall apply prospectively only.\u201d Under Section 503 of the proposed charter, previous service would not count toward the new limits. All terms would start anew.<\/p>\n Separately, I talked to Mayor Pro Tem Denis Bilodeau and former Mayor Carolyn Cavecche.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes a lot to get me out of retirement,\u201d Cavecche said. Opposition spans \u201cfar-right conservatives to the far-left progressive liberals.\u201d She said the city already can do almost anything the charter promises, and Huntington Beach\u2019s court losses<\/a> show a charter doesn\u2019t exempt a city from state housing laws.<\/p>\n She especially objected to the change in term limits. \u201cIt\u2019s an end-run term limit extension for current city council members,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the only reason this is on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n Bilodeau said the charter would help the city reduce costs for construction and procurement. Unlike Cavecche, he\u2019s hopeful the charter would give the city \u201csome flexibility to push back on these crazy housing laws that Sacramento has imposed on us.\u201d<\/p>\n On term limits, he said, \u201cA lifetime cap was the point.\u201d He also said he wouldn\u2019t seek reelection. He\u2019s now running<\/a> for Board of Equalization District 4 against Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana.<\/p>\n A key question is whether the charter would help the city\u2019s budget problems. LAist reported<\/a> Councilwoman Kathy Tavoularis, who first pushed the charter reform, said the move could help the city\u2019s financial problems. Indeed, those problems are large and led the council also to place before voters Measure I<\/a>, which would raise the city sales tax from 7.75% to 8.75% for 13 years; and Measure J, which would raise the transient occupancy tax \u2013 hotel tax \u2013 from 10% to 14% for hotels or motels with 11 or more rooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the library meeting, Hildenbrand said he was neutral on all city votes. But he explained the details of the city\u2019s projected<\/a> $27.6 million deficit this year and $122 million over six years. I opposed<\/a> both tax increases in my July column, \u201cThe city of Orange thrives without tax increases.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing about the budget under Measure K,\u201d Cavecche said. \u201cAnd if they\u2019re saying it\u2019s going to help, they\u2019re 100% wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n As noted above, Bilodeau believes the charter could bring some cost savings. On the budget, he said, \u201cWhether we have a charter or not, that challenge will exist.\u201d<\/p>\n If I still lived in Orange, I would vote yes. The lifetime caps are worth the transition. And I really like banning eminent domain abuse.<\/p>\n John Seiler is on the SCNG Editorial Board<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although I now live in Irvine, I enjoyed living in Orange a few years back. 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