SANTA ANA—An Orange County Superior Court judge Feb. 24 ruled that City of Orange Councilman Mike Alvarez must vacate the seat he was re-elected to in November because serving a third term violates term-limit laws. Alvarez was elected to the city council in 2012 and re-elected four years later. The city imposed term limits in 1996, barring anyone from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms on the city council. No one who has served more than six consecutive years can serve an additional consecutive term on the council. That means a council member must take a two-year hiatus before running again. City council elections in Orange were held on an at-large basis until 2019 when the city switched elections by district. Alvarez’s attorneys argued “that redistricting impliedly repealed the term limits,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Nathan Scott wrote in a tentative ruling earlier this month. However, Scott added …