THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

After waging battle against a well-funded independent expenditure committee in the last election, Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry wants to raise limits on individual campaign contributions in Newport Beach.

“It opened my eyes to the issue,” said Curry, who has proposed two new city ordinances to change local election law.

Newport limits how much money one person can give a City Council candidate to $500, but Curry wants to raise the limit to $1,000, citing the fact contribution limits in the city haven’t been raised since 1995.

“It’s expensive to run for office in Newport Beach, and we need to adjust the limits to accommodate the type of campaigning necessary to communicate to the voters,” Curry said. “We want to have a campaign system where candidates raise money from a broad range of citizens, rather than depend on independent expenditures from one or two wealthy individuals or groups.”

Jack Croul, former chairman of the paint manufacturing giant Behr, pumped about $250,000 into the independent expenditure committee Taxpayers for Safer Neighborhoods for mailers, signs and phone polling in support of Curry’s challenger, local political watchdog Dolores Otting, in the November election.

Curry also hopes to close a loophole in city law that could allow City Council members to get around term limits by resigning early, only to run again for a third term.

Newport voters approved limiting council members to two consecutive, four-year terms in 1992, but the ordinance contains vague wording that could allow council members to get around the law by resigning on the eve of political filing deadlines, then running for office again.

Curry said he did not have any local politicians in mind while pondering the reforms, but wants the laws cleaned up purely on principle.

“I don’t think that’s what the voters intended — think we need to fix this loophole now rather than wait for a lawsuit involving a specific candidate,” Curry said.

BILL ON CONTRACTS IS OPPOSED BY LEAGUE

A new bill making its way through the various committees of the California legislature in hopes of a vote in the near future would make it more difficult for cities that declare bankruptcy to renegotiate contracts with their police, firefighters and staffers.

Assembly Bill 155 would create a state commission called the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission that would determine whether a city could file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.

Bill proponents fear that cities could misuse bankruptcy to manipulate contract negotiations. The last California city to declare bankruptcy, Vallejo, got approval from the court to renegotiate pension benefits with its unions.

The Orange County League of Cities opposes the bill, saying it would put a burdensome hurdle in front of financially unstable cities, which could stall and encumber their recovery efforts. Newport, along with several other county cities, opposes the bill.

The proposal just passed the Assembly Local Government Committee and is headed for the Appropriations Committee. If it were to pass there, it would make it to the floor for a vote.

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected]. Reporter ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].