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The East Palo Alto City Council advanced on Tuesday a ballot measure that would establish council term limits. If voters approve the measure in November, council members would be limited to three four-year terms before they have to take a two-year break.
The 12-year limit would not be imposed retroactively, meaning previous terms served would not be counted. The council also agreed that half-served terms would signify a full four years.
Currently, East Palo Alto Council members can serve for as many years as they are elected. Only six San Mateo County cities of 20 impose term limits, according to City Clerk James Colin, who presented the item.
Mayor Webster Lincoln listed the idea as a City priority in 2025, expressing a desire – with other Council members – for “fresh” ideas.
“Turnover is excellent for the city,” Council member Mark Dinan said on Tuesday. “I think bringing new voices and younger voices in is really important.”
Although the council voted 4-1 with Carlos Romero dissenting, council members and city staff expressed concerns over the measure’s timeline.
East Palo Alto is considering placing a bond measure on the November ballot to contribute to building the city’s first ever civic center, which could include the City Hall, a new library, Police Department headquarters, community space and an athletic field, among other amenities. City staff warned the council that placing term limits and the bond measure on the same ballot could potentially split voter attention and cause conflict.
“In 2024, people’s opinions of the city council have dropped by 13%; people’s opinions of city staff have dropped by 11%. …. Anything that provides an opportunity for conflict can potentially worsen public perception of our city organization,” City Manager Melvin Gaines said during a March meeting.
Abrica and Romero, who between them have decades of service on the council, expressed support for floating term-limits in the November 2028 election instead of this year to amass greater voter turnout and give the prospective bond measure a better chance of approval in the current year.
“Anything that we do to jeopardize this opportunity, which is fleeting, will indeed make a difference in this community for decades to come,” Romero said.
East Palo Alto services are fragmented across different buildings, and local studies have for years called for updates to municipal spaces. Currently, East Palo Alto rents its City Hall offices and police operate out of outdated portable buildings. The library is also a one-room structure operating out of a San Mateo County-owned building.
East Palo Alto has allocated $20 million to the project, and council members also expect private contributions.
“The private sector has a shorter tolerance for time,” Abrica said. “They’re not going to hang around for a long time.”
Council members Barragan, Dinan and Lincoln said they believed placing term limits on the fall ballot would not affect a bond measure.
“We’re conflating two issues. I think the majority of people might be in favor of term limits regardless,” Lincoln said.
Tuesday’s meeting highlighted the ongoing rift between newer Council members – Dinan, Barragan and Lincoln – and those who have served the city for decades. While newer members said that term limits would affect them most, Abrica called the timing of the measure “reckless” and “political.”
“I’ve already experienced two years of what I consider recklessness on the part of the majority that simply uses their majority to force things upon the people,” Abrica said.
