Measures proposing to extend term limits from two to three terms for both Redondo Beach City Council members and Redondo Beach Unified School District board members were voted down Tuesday night.
According to preliminary vote tallies, 68 percent of Redondo Beach voters voted against Measure CM, the ballot measure spearheaded by current Redondo Beach District 5 Councilmember Matt Kilroy that would have added an additional four year term to council eligibility.
District 2 Councilmember Bill Brand starkly opposed the measure.
“The longer a politician is in office, the more he understands how to sway voters, raise money and build an empire,” Brand said in an argument against the measure. “Government, especially at the local level, needs fresh perspectives, fresh ideas, fresh policy making.”
Early tallies showed 65 percent of Redondo voters voted against Measure BE, which likewise would have extended RBUSD board member term limits.
“At this point we don’t care how you vote, just vote,” Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel said during concluding remarks at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
TREASURER CHANGES
Elsewhere on the ballot, 63 percent of voters voted in favor of Measure CT, which amends the City Charter to reduce the Redondo Beach City Treasurer’s duties from full-time to part-time.
Measure CT also amends the City Charter’s description of the city treasurer’s duties, Section 11.1, expanding the position’s oversight capabilities. Current City Treasurer Steve Diels campaigned on a platform that promised to reform the position to be more relevant.
“I think it’s a phenomenal result,” Diels said. “I already knew people voted for me to do this, but I wasn’t sure if all of the steps to get there would pass and I’m very pleased that the voters followed through….Tonight [the ]voters participated. It’s a great accomplishment.”
The City Treasurer now has additional authority to audit and request information on all city funds. Diels says the deputy treasurer position, duties he has also been fulfilling, will be reinstituted immediately.
“The treasurer is an extremely important position in the city, and I think it will remain that way,” Diels said. “If i’m correct, it will attract very qualified candidates. This was in no way to diminish the position, but instead to change the compensation structure to make the position more effective.”
