San Gabriel Valley : OVER EAGER?

Pasadena Mayor William Paparian might have been a bit too eager to gauge public opinion on an initiative to limit local politicians to two four-year terms.

The City Council voted two weeks ago to hold off deciding whether to save some money and place the measure on the ballot without counting petition signatures, since indications are that the measure would likely qualify.

Paparian, who is serving his third term as a councilman, did not wait.

Rather than holding off for the council vote, Paparian instructed the city clerk to begin the process of verifying the signatures--$15,000 price tag and all.

“I can’t recall a [Pasadena] mayor doing something like this,” said Councilman William Thomson Jr. “I want to save the money and put it on the ballot.”

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge in July found that the city last year had wrongfully invalidated the petition.

“Based on what I saw, there weren’t [the] votes on the council for placing it on the ballot,” Paparian said, adding that in that case, he interpreted the judge’s order to mean that the signatures would need to be counted.

The count was halted earlier in the week because of council members’ objections. The issue will return to the council next month for a vote.