Ballot Title and Summary – Term Limits

The Town Attorney has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:

BALLOT TITLE

A CITIZEN’S INITIATIVE MEASURE AMENDING THE TOWN CODE TO LIMIT THE TIME A PERSON
MAY SERVE ON THE TOWN COUNCIL TO TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS

BALLOT SUMMARY

The Los Gatos Town Council consists of five members, each elected by the voters to serve for a four-year term. Currently, the Town Code does not limit the number of terms that a person may serve on the Town Council.

This initiative would amend the Los Gatos Town Code to impose terms limit on Council Members in the following manner:

1. No person shall serve more than two consecutive terms as a member of the Town Council.
2. Any person who has served two consecutive terms shall not serve again, either by election or appointment, until at least four years have elapsed since that person last held office.
3. Any person serving an unexpired term of two years or less in length shall thereafter be eligible to serve two consecutive terms upon the expiration of the partial term for which that person was appointed or elected.
4. Applying prospectively to terms commencing on or after the effective date of this ordinance, any portion of a term of office longer than two years shall be deemed to be a full term for the purpose of the limit imposed by this section.
5. Any member of the Town Council who resigns from or otherwise leaves office during a term shall be deemed to have served the entirety of that term for the purpose of the limit imposed by this section, regardless of the length of time remaining in the term.

This ballot title and summary are hereby submitted to the elections official in conformance with California Elections Code Section 9203.

Dated: October 22, 2019