AB 2786

Introduced by Committee on Elections
 An act to amend Sections 324, 9611, and 19103 of the Elections Code, and to amend Section 13823 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to elections.
elections
Elections.
Under existing law, there are certain established election dates. Prior to the enactment of Chapter 1143 of the Statutes of 1996, the Elections Code instead referred to these dates as “regular election dates.”
This bill would revise existing code sections to remove obsolete references to “regular election date” and replace them with references to “established election date.”
Under existing law, when a local measure is submitted to the voters of a special district that includes territory within more than one county, one of those counties is designated as the lead county, as specified. Existing law requires the elections official for the lead county to work with the other counties to establish the deadlines for the submittal of arguments for and against the measure. Existing law also requires the elections
		official for the lead county to select the arguments to be printed in the voter information guide and transmit those arguments to the elections officials of the other counties.
This bill would additionally require the elections official for the lead county to work with the other counties to establish the deadlines for the submittal of the measure text and impartial analysis. The bill would require the elections official for the lead county to submit the measure text, impartial analysis, and the selected arguments to the other counties within 24 hours of the author providing those materials to the lead county. To the extent this bill increases the duties of local elections officials, it creates a state-mandated local program.
The bill would also make other nonsubstantive changes.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school
		districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 324 of the
Elections Code
 is amended to read:
324.
(a) “General election” means either of the following:
(1) The election held throughout the state on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year.
(2) Any statewide election held on an established election date as specified in Section 1000.
(b) At each general election there shall be elected to the Congress of the United States:
(1) One
				  Representative for each congressional district.
(2) One Senator, when the general election immediately precedes the commencement of a full term.
SEC. 2.
Section 9611 of the
Elections Code
 is amended to read:
9611.
(a) This section applies to district elections conducted in accordance with Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 9300) or school district elections conducted in accordance with Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 9500), if the boundaries of the district or school district contain more than one county. The provisions of this section prevail over any provision in those chapters to the extent they conflict.
(b) For the purposes of this section, “lead county” has the following meanings:
(1) For district elections, “lead county” means the county with the most voters within the district
				  boundaries.
(2) For school district elections, “lead county” means the county whose superintendent of schools covers the district.
(c) The elections official for the lead county shall work with the other counties within the district boundaries to establish the deadlines for the submittal of the measure text, impartial analysis, arguments for and against a district or school district
				  measure, and rebuttal
				  arguments, along with any accompanying forms.
(d) Authors shall submit arguments only to the lead county, who shall select which arguments will be printed in the voter information guide in accordance with Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 9300) or Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 9500), as applicable. The elections official for the lead county shall electronically transmit a scanned copy of the selected arguments, along with any accompanying forms, to the elections official of each other county in the district or school district. An elections official who receives arguments selected by the lead county shall include the arguments in the printed and electronic versions of their county voter information guide.
(e) The elections official for the lead county
				  shall submit the measure text, impartial analysis, and the selected arguments, along with any accompanying forms, to the other counties within the district boundaries within 24 hours of the author providing those materials to the lead county.
SEC. 3.
Section 19103 of the
Elections Code
 is amended to read:
19103.
The chairpersons of the elections committees of the Assembly and Senate shall meet with the Secretary of State and assist the Secretary of State to the extent that the participation is not incompatible with their positions as Members of the Legislature. For purposes of this division, the chairpersons of the committees named shall constitute a joint interim legislative committee on the
				  subject of this chapter and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 19200) and shall have the powers and duties imposed upon those committees by the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly.
SEC. 4.
Section 13823 of the
Health and Safety Code
 is amended to read:
13823.
(a) If the local agency formation commission approves the formation of a district, with or without amendment, wholly, partially, or conditionally, the board of supervisors shall call and give notice of the election to be held in the proposed district. If the proposed district lies in more than one county, the board of supervisors shall call and give notice of the election to be held in the territory of the proposed district which lies in that county.
(b) The election shall be held on the next established election date, as specified in Section 1000 of the Elections Code,
				  not less than 113 nor more than 150 days after the date the board of supervisors calls and gives notice of the election.
(c) Notice of the election shall be published pursuant to Section 6061 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation circulated within the territory of the proposed district which lies in the county.
SEC. 5.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.