Jeffrey

I

Beginning in May 2002, a group of Huntington Beach residents began circulating petitions supporting a proposed initiative which would amend the city’s charter to change the city council from seven members elected by the city at large to five members elected from separate districts. The initiative will, if passed, also put absolute lifetime term limits on each council member: Council members could have no more than two terms in a lifetime. Present council members cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The supporters call their initiative the “Fair Apportionment and Individual Representation” charter initiative, or “FAIR.”

The changes proposed by the FAIR initiative would be effective with the November 2004 general municipal election. By mid-June, the proponents of the initiative had turned over 22,000 signatures to the city clerk. There is no question the supporters had obtained enough signatures to put the FAIR initiative on the ballot.

The question is, which ballot—this year’s or one in 2004? The current Huntington Beach City Council has not attempted to conceal its opposition to the initiative, and has decided not to put the initiative on the ballot for the…