BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 254
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 254 (Dahle)
As Introduced February 6, 2013
Majority vote
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 9-0
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|Ayes:|Achadjian, Levine, Alejo, | | |
| |Bradford, Gordon, | | |
| |Melendez, Mullin, | | |
| |Waldron, Bonta | | |
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SUMMARY : Authorizes the Modoc County Board of Supervisors to
appoint a registrar of voters separate from the county clerk.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Authorizes the Modoc County Board of Supervisors to appoint a
registrar of voters in the same manner as other county
officers are appointed.
2)States that the Modoc County clerk is not an ex officio
registrar of voters, and requires the Modoc County registrar
of voters to discharge all duties vested by law in the county
elections official that relate to and are a part of the
election procedure.
3)Declares a special law is necessary because of Modoc County's
need to reorganize the structure and duties of county officers
to reduce costs and increase productivity within the county
government.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes the Counties of El Dorado, Imperial, Kings, Lake,
Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Riverside, San Joaquin, Solano,
and Tulare to appoint a registrar of voters in the same manner
as other county officers are appointed.
2)States that the county clerk in those counties is not an ex
officio registrar of voters, and requires the registrar of
voters in those counties to discharge all duties vested by law
in the county elections official that relate to and are a part
AB 254
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of the election procedure.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : This bill allows the Modoc County Board of
Supervisors to appoint a registrar of voters, rather than having
that office continue as an elected position. According to the
author,
"AB 254 has come to light in response to a request from the
Chairman of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors. They would
like to have Modoc County added to the current list of counties
that are able to appoint a registrar of voters. This will allow
the small county to save money, consolidate departments and
prevent any conflict of interest (within the elections office)
that may arise." This bill is sponsored by the Modoc County
Board of Supervisors.
In most counties, the county clerk is an elected officer who
serves both as clerk of the board of supervisors and as
registrar of voters. However, state law authorizes supervisors
in 12 counties (El Dorado, Imperial, Kings, Lake, Marin, Merced,
Monterey, Napa, Riverside, San Joaquin, Solano, and Tulare) to
appoint a registrar of voters separate from the county clerk.
The California Constitution allows a county to adopt a
voter-approved charter that provides for the consolidation and
separation of county officers and specifies the manner of
filling vacant county offices.
The Legislature may wish to consider whether Modoc County voters
should directly decide through the adoption of a charter whether
the responsibility for Modoc County's elections should be
changed from an elected official to an appointed official.
The author and sponsor indicate this measure will help Modoc
County to increase efficiencies and save costs in administering
its elections department. Modoc County is one of the most
sparsely-populated counties in the state with a population of
9,686 and has the lowest median household income of any county
in California, according to the 2010 census. Its unemployment
rate of 15.3% for January is one of the highest in the state,
according to the Employment Development Department. Like many
local jurisdictions, Modoc County is struggling financially and
is deficit-spending. The county is expected to approve an
independent audit to account for recent errors in employee
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paychecks, according to a February 22, 2013, news report.
Although Modoc County illegally transferred between $14 and $29
million in restricted funds from county accounts to support the
Modoc Medical Center, the Attorney General reported to the
2012-13 Modoc County Grand Jury that the diversion of monies
"was deemed to be with good intentions" and that no one
benefited financially from the transfers, which occurred over a
multi-year period.
Support arguments: Supporters say giving Modoc County the
ability to reorganize its county officers and appoint a
registrar of voters will save the county money, make service
delivery more efficient, and prevent conflicts of interest in
the county's elections operations.
Opposition arguments: Opposition could argue that Modoc County
should become a charter county if it would like to reorganize
its county officers.
Analysis Prepared by : Angela Mapp / L. GOV. / (916) 319-3958
FN: 0000089