Councilman Moreno’s End Run

When Santa Ana voters decided to limit the time that city officials could hold elected office, they surely didn’t intend to approve Councilman Ted Moreno’s attempt to create a break in service, clearly meant to skirt the restriction.

Moreno said he will quit not long before his second term runs out this year and then will seek reelection in November. Santa Ana’s city attorney, Joseph Fletcher, labeled the tactic “absurd,” and he’s right. Moreno, who has seen his political career founder on the shoals of a federal indictment, contends that Fletcher’s memo is merely an opinion, not an official barrier. The councilman vows to run, even though Fletcher recommended that the city clerk not issue him nominating papers.

He has long been at odds with the other members of the council. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. Vigorous debate, and sometimes strong disagreement, is an important part of public life. But he should heed the ordinance limiting council members to two consecutive terms and give up any idea of running again in November.

Moreno, who maintains his innocence, faces trial on federal charges that he and three others conspired to extort money from two businessmen to pay for political campaigns in Santa Ana four years ago. All but Moreno have pleaded guilty in the case.

Last week, Moreno changed lawyers after telling a federal judge that he and his attorney disagreed on how his trial should proceed. Also, one of the other three, a former councilman who had been scheduled to stand trial with Moreno, instead pleaded guilty to a felony count of lying to federal investigators about the case.

Term limit laws have caused public policy problems, especially in Sacramento. Limiting politicians to eight years in the Senate and six in the Assembly is hamstringing the Legislature, disrupting continuity and purging institutional memory.

Those problems exist on the local level as well. But on the plus side, limiting time in office encourages new candidates to step forward without concern about having to defeat an incumbent, usually an impossible task. Freshening the political process can benefit a city. And the law is the law--voters have made it clear they want these local term limits.

If Moreno’s political career does not end in federal court, it should end in the City Council chambers after two full consecutive terms. He and others facing term limit laws should heed the voters’ wishes and step aside for fresh faces and ideas.