Commerce Councilmember Ivan Altamirano cannot run for a fourth term and should not have been deemed eligible for the upcoming election by the city, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled this week.
Judge Joseph Lipner ordered Dean Logan, the county’s registrar-recorder/county clerk, not to “print, distribute, tabulate or certify ballots listing” Altamirano as a candidate. He also directed Commerce City Clerk Eduardo Sarmiento, who listed Altamirano as a qualified candidate earlier this month, not to certify his candidacy.
A lawsuit challenging the city’s decision was placed on an accelerated schedule by the court because the county will begin printing ballots this week for the Nov. 3 election.
Altamirano is ineligible to seek election because he has served three full terms, the maximum allowed under limits passed by voters in 2011, Lipner wrote in his ruling Thursday, Aug. 27.
“The law must be applied just as it was written,” he said.
Altamirano was appointed to the City Council in 2012 to fill the remaining term of a vacant seat. He subsequently won elections in 2013, 2017 and 2022.
More than 72% of Commerce voters supported the city’s three-term limit in 2011.
Voters then narrowly passed Measure SL, which extended councilmembers’ terms to coincide with a shift in election dates, just months after Altamirano’s most recent election in 2022. The amendment did not change the limit of “three full terms” and officials repeatedly promised that the limits would be retained.
However, attorneys for the councilmember and the city argued in court filings that Measure SL effectively reset the clock because it had altered the definition of a “full term.” State law stipulates that term limits cannot apply retroactively.
Lipner did not agree and ruled in favor of a more straightforward reading of the law. The “minor and technical change” made by Measure SL did not affect the number of terms allowed or erase Altamirano’s three full terms of service, he said.
“Altamirano’s argument is unpersuasive and does not bear scrutiny at any level,” he wrote. “The documents that voters received about Measure SL are not ambiguous. The documents, like the text itself, indicate that Altamirano can serve three full terms, and at that point, must step aside.”
Former Mayor Lilia Leon filed the lawsuit challenging Altamirano’s reelection bid just days after the city clerk released the list of qualified candidates. Altamirano had received advice from the city attorney, as well as outside counsel, suggesting he could run again and the city clerk seemingly accepted that interpretation.
That stance went against the will of voters, Leon said. She previously opposed term limits in 2011, but says she has since come to “wholeheartedly support” the prohibition.
If Altamirano had succeeded, not only would he be eligible for more terms, so would his colleagues on the City Council. Two others will term out in 2028 based on the court’s ruling.
“It wasn’t even about Ivan,” Leon said. “It was about doing the right thing. The voters voted for term limits. It is time to go.”
Leon, a 72-year city resident, called the judge’s ruling a victory for voters. “Now, new blood will hopefully come in,” she said.
In a statement, Altamirano thanked residents for his nearly 15 years in office and for allowing him to “serve the community that raised me and that I will always call home.”
“I believe God brought favor throughout this journey,” Altamirano stated. “Today, He has closed the door to this chapter of my life, and I trust that He is already opening new doors with new opportunities and a new purpose.
“I leave this chapter with gratitude in my heart, proud of what we accomplished together and thankful for every lesson along the way.”
With Altamirano out of the running, six candidates will now battle in November for three seats. Candidates include incumbents Kevin Lainez and Mireya Garcia, former Councilmember Leonard Mendoza, Vanessa Haro, Nick Padilla and Jaime Valencia.