BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                      



           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 2572|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 651-1520         Fax: (916) |                         |
          |327-4478                          |                         |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
           
                                         
                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 2572
          Author:   Furutani (D)
          Amended:  8/6/12 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ELECTIONS & CONST. AMEND. COMM. :  3-2, 7/03/12
          AYES:  Correa, Lieu, Yee
          NOES:  La Malfa, Gaines

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  46-25, 5/10/12 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Los Angeles Community College District:  
          governing board 
                      elections

           SOURCE  :     Los Angeles Community College District


           DIGEST  :    This bill, commencing with the 2013 election, 
          authorizes the governing board of the Los Angeles Community 
          College District (LACCD) to adopt a resolution by majority 
          vote to enact an alternative method by which members of the 
          governing board may be elected at large and by individual 
          seat number, as specified.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law generally provides that trustees 
          of a community college district shall be elected by using 
          one of the following methods:

           Election of a candidate who resides and is registered to 
            vote in the trustee area he/she seeks to represent, by 
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               AB 2572
                                                                Page 
          2

            only the voters of the same trustee area; or

           Election of a candidate who resides and is registered to 
            vote in the trustee area he/she seeks to represent, by 
            the voters of the entire community college district 
            (at-large).
          Existing law requires trustees of the LACCD to be elected 
          from individual trustee areas by voters of the entire 
          district (at-large) and establishes seat numbers for board 
          member elections.  Members hold office for four years with 
          elections held every odd-numbered year.  Elections for the 
          numbered seats are staggered with seats 1, 3, 5, and 7 
          appearing on the same ballot while seats 2, 4, and 6 
          appearing on the following ballot.  LACCD primary elections 
          are held the first Tuesday in April of every odd-numbered 
          year with run-off elections (if necessary) held the last 
          Tuesday in May of every odd-numbered year.

          Existing law provides that if no candidate for a LACCD seat 
          receives more than 50 percent of the total votes cast in 
          the primary election, a run-off election must be held 
          between the two candidates receiving the highest number of 
          votes.

          This bill, commencing with the 2013 election, for the 
          governing board of the LACCD and each election thereafter, 
          the governing board may adopt a resolution by majority vote 
          to enact an alternative method by which members of the 
          governing board of the LACCD may be elected at large and by 
          individual seat number wherein, upon certification of the 
          election, the candidate with the highest number of votes 
          for an individual seat number shall be deemed the candidate 
          elected for that individual seat number.

           Comments
           
          According to the author's office, under existing law, the 
          LACCD is required to have its elections coincide with the 
          City of Los Angeles.  If a candidate receives less than 50 
          percent of the vote in the initial election, then the 
          district must hold a run-off for the top two vote-getters.  
          The requirement for a primary and a run-off has created a 
          significant financial burden for the LACCD.  The process of 
          holding an additional election has reduced the district's 

                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               AB 2572
                                                                Page 
          3

          resources that would otherwise go toward meeting its core 
          mission of serving students and the community.

          Enactment of this bill eliminates the requirement that the 
          LACCD conduct a run-off election if no candidate receives 
          more than 50 percent of the vote.  The change will save the 
          district $3 million to $5 million every two years. The 
          savings could be redirected to the district's core mission 
          of serving students.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No   
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/8/12)

          Los Angeles Community College District
          Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department



           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  46-25, 5/10/12
          AYES:  Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Block, 
            Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, 
            Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Chesbro, Davis, 
            Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Galgiani, Gatto, 
            Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, 
            Huffman, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, 
            Monning, Pan, Perea, Portantino, Skinner, Swanson, 
            Torres, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada
          NOES:  Achadjian, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly, 
            Beth Gaines, Garrick, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, 
            Harkey, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, 
            Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Silva, Smyth, Valadao, Wagner
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Cedillo, Fletcher, Furutani, Gordon, 
            Jeffries, Olsen, V. Manuel Pérez, Solorio, John A. Pérez


          DLW:d  8/8/12   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

                                ****  END  ****
          


                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               AB 2572
                                                                Page 
          4














































                                                           CONTINUED