Temecula City Council To Discuss Term Limits

TEMECULA, CA — At the request of Temecula's newest City Council member, the city is set to discuss whether there should be term limits set on City Council seats.

During Tuesday night's Temecula City Council meeting, the issue will be debated at the request of Council Member Jessica Alexander (District 2).

Temecula currently has no term limits for its five-member City Council — members may run for re-election to four-year terms as many times as they would like.

Some members have served for years. For example, Maryann Edwards (District 3) has sat on the dais since 2005. She was appointed to her post following the vacancy created when Council Member Jeff Stone was elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. She successfully ran for re-election four times and has served as Temecula’s Mayor four times. Her current term expires this year.

James "Stew" Stewart (District 4) was elected to the City Council in 2016 and resigned his seat amid controversy in the spring of 2020. He successfully ran for re-election later that year and won by a wide margin. His current term expires in 2024.

Mayor Matt Rahn (District 1) has served on the City Council since 2014, while Mayor Pro Tem Zak Schwank (District 5) has served since 2018. Their current terms expire this year.

Alexander was first elected to her post in 2020.

Corona, Hemet, Indian Wells, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, and Perris are the only Riverside County cities that have established term limits.

State senators and assembly members all have term limits, while there are no such constraints for seats on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Tuesday night's Temecula City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. See the full meeting agenda here.