Prop. R, extending L.A. City Council term limits, upheld

A state appeals court has upheld Proposition R, the 2006 ballot measure that extended Los Angeles City Council term limits to a third, four-year term.

The decision clears a potentially massive roadblock for five of the 15 current City Council members who are running for a third term in March.

The measure was challenged by Hollywood resident David Hernandez, who intends to appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court.

"If it cannot reach the California Supreme Court before the election, it's all over," Hernandez told the Daily News.

Prop. R passed with almost 60 percent of the vote in 2006. As it stands, the only open seat in the 2009 election will be Council District 5, currently held by Democrat Jack Weiss, who is leaving to run for city attorney.

If the measure had been overturned, all five council members who are running for a third term would have had to find a new job, resulting in a chaotic scramble for institutional and community support by a slew of new candidates. Unless the state Supreme Court intervenes, though, this game-changing scenario will never come to pass.