Although I now live in Irvine, I enjoyed living in Orange a few years back. When I return, I especially miss Watson’s, which closed in 2022.
I attended the public meeting at the Orange Public Library & History Center on Oct. 7 about Measure K on the Nov. 3 ballot. It would transform Orange from a general law city to a charter city under Article XI of the California Constitution.
Speaking to 25 residents, City Manager Jarad Hildenbrand explained a charter would give Orange greater authority over local affairs. It would also add open-space protections and a balanced-budget rule.
Of particular interest to me, he brought up Charter Section 602. It reads, “The City may not exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire private property for conveyance to another private party without the owner’s consent,” except in fulfilling a project of the city itself.”
For decades the Register has fought against abusing eminent domain to take property from one private party and give it to another. I asked if current city law banned the practice. He said no.
A key change would be term limits. Currently, the mayor may serve three consecutive two-year terms, and council members two consecutive four-year terms. Combined consecutive service in the two offices is limited to 14 years. After two years out of both offices, a person may return.
The charter would replace those consecutive-term limits with lifetime caps: two four-year terms for mayor and three four-year terms for council members.
Hildenbrand pointed to California Government Code Section 36502(b). It reads any change in term limits by a charter or general law city “shall apply prospectively only.” Under Section 503 of the proposed charter, previous service would not count toward the new limits. All terms would start anew.
Separately, I talked to Mayor Pro Tem Denis Bilodeau and former Mayor Carolyn Cavecche.
“It takes a lot to get me out of retirement,” Cavecche said. Opposition spans “far-right conservatives to the far-left progressive liberals.” She said the city already can do almost anything the charter promises, and Huntington Beach’s court losses show a charter doesn’t exempt a city from state housing laws.
She especially objected to the change in term limits. “It’s an end-run term limit extension for current city council members,” she said. “And that’s the only reason this is on the ballot.”
Bilodeau said the charter would help the city reduce costs for construction and procurement. Unlike Cavecche, he’s hopeful the charter would give the city “some flexibility to push back on these crazy housing laws that Sacramento has imposed on us.”
On term limits, he said, “A lifetime cap was the point.” He also said he wouldn’t seek reelection. He’s now running for Board of Equalization District 4 against Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana.
A key question is whether the charter would help the city’s budget problems. LAist reported Councilwoman Kathy Tavoularis, who first pushed the charter reform, said the move could help the city’s financial problems. Indeed, those problems are large and led the council also to place before voters Measure I, which would raise the city sales tax from 7.75% to 8.75% for 13 years; and Measure J, which would raise the transient occupancy tax – hotel tax – from 10% to 14% for hotels or motels with 11 or more rooms.
At the library meeting, Hildenbrand said he was neutral on all city votes. But he explained the details of the city’s projected $27.6 million deficit this year and $122 million over six years. I opposed both tax increases in my July column, “The city of Orange thrives without tax increases.”
“There’s nothing about the budget under Measure K,” Cavecche said. “And if they’re saying it’s going to help, they’re 100% wrong.”
As noted above, Bilodeau believes the charter could bring some cost savings. On the budget, he said, “Whether we have a charter or not, that challenge will exist.”
If I still lived in Orange, I would vote yes. The lifetime caps are worth the transition. And I really like banning eminent domain abuse.
John Seiler is on the SCNG Editorial Board