Judge upholds measure on council term limits

A Superior Court judge on Tuesday upheld a ballot measure approved by voters in November that relaxed term limits for the City Council.

Two residents brought a suit that alleged that the ballot measure had violated the state Constitution by asking voters to cast a single vote on two unrelated items -- term limits and lobbyist reforms.

Judge David Yaffe found that the city had “manipulated” voters by bundling the items but ruled that a clause in the state Constitution forbidding such bundling in state initiatives does not apply to city charter amendments. Dave Hernandez, one of the plaintiffs, said he may ask Yaffe to reconsider the ruling.