Santa Ana voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Measure GG, imposing an eight-year term limit on the office of mayor.
With all but 22 of 108 precincts reporting, the ballot measure had the approval of 77.5 percent of voters. Just 22.5 percent opposed it. The vote of 86 precincts was 24,605 in favor of term limits and 7,133 opposed.
The measure was backed by City Council opponents of Mayor Miguel Pulido, who was elected to the City Council in 1986 and has been mayor since 1994. Pulido however, appeared well on his way to re-election as mayor and, if re-elected, he could remain as mayor for a total of eight years under terms of the ballot measure.
Measure GG amends the city’s charter to limit a mayor to eight consecutive years in office, which would be four two-year terms. Before passage of Measure GG, there was no limit on how long someone may serve as mayor, although the city has a 12-year limit on the terms of City Council members.
Measure GG prohibits individuals from serving more than 20 consecutive years as both mayor and a member of the City Council. Someone who reaches the eight-year limit as mayor would have to leave office for eight years before holding that office again.
Anyone who serves on the City Council for 12 years and then as mayor for eight years would not be eligible to run again for the City Council until remaining out of office for eight years.