Kern County Board of Supervisors will not include competing term limits ballot initiatives on the November ballot
Bakersfield, CA – Dozens of Kern County residents including caregivers, county workers, and City of Bakersfield workers attended Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to decry plans to place alternative, competing term limits ballot measures on the November ballot. Public comment–and the general popularity of term limits across the political spectrum–moved the Kern County Board of Supervisors to take no action on the alternative ballot initiatives they were considering.
In March, We Are Kern County coalition members delivered nearly 22,000 signatures on a ballot measure to enact term limits on County Supervisors. The initiative qualified for the November ballot in June. If it passes, supervisors will be limited to two terms of four years each.
In a move that members of the coalition called anti-democratic, the Board of Supervisors requested that county counsel provide them a list of alternative actions for placing competing measures on the ballot, including a version of the ballot measure that would allow supervisors to run for their positions again after a hiatus.
“It’s clear to the voters I’ve talked to that the County Board of Supervisors offering competing ballot measures would only confuse the public,” said term limits proponent Sandy Moreno. “We already know that term limits are incredibly popular, and over 20,000 voters agree that Kern needs this change.”
As a result of Tuesday’s meeting, only the people’s term limits ballot initiative will be up for a vote in November.
“This is a tremendous victory for democracy in Kern County,” Moreno added.
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We Are Kern County is a coalition of community organizations, activists, and leaders who are deeply concerned with the future of our county.
