SB 493, as amended, Cannella. Elections in cities: by or from districts.
Existingbegin insert law generally requires all elective city offices, including the members of a city council, to be filled at large by the city electorate at a general municipal election. Existingend insert law, at any municipal election or special election held for this purpose, authorizes the legislative body of a city to submit to the registered voters an ordinance providing for the election of members of the legislative body by district or from district, as defined, and with or without an elective mayor.
This bill would authorize the legislative body of abegin delete general lawend delete city tobegin delete amendend deletebegin insert
adoptend insert an ordinancebegin delete providing forend deletebegin insert that requiresend insert thebegin delete election ofend delete members of the legislative bodybegin delete from district, as defined, to provide for the election of members of the legislative body by district, as defined,end deletebegin insert to be elected by district or by district with an elective mayorend insert withoutbegin delete submitting the amendment to the registeredend deletebegin insert being required to submit the
ordinance to theend insert voters for approval.begin delete The bill would prohibit the amendment of the ordinance, as described above, from changing whether the general law city has an elective mayor.end delete
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
begin insertSection 34885 is added to the end insertbegin insertGovernment Codeend insertbegin insert,
2to read:end insert
Notwithstanding Section 34871 or any other law, the
4legislative body of a city may adopt an ordinance that requires
5the members of the legislative body to be elected by district or by
6district with an elective mayor, as described in subdivisions (a)
7and (c) of Section 34871, without being required to submit the
8ordinance to the voters for approval.
Section 34873.5 is added to the Government
10Code, to read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, including, but
12not limited to, Section 34873, if an ordinance provides for the
13legislative body of a general law city to be elected from district,
14as defined by Section 34871, the legislative body of the general
15law city may amend the ordinance to provide for the legislative
16body of the general law city to be elected by district, as defined
17by Section 34871, without submitting the amendment to the
18registered voters for approval.
19(b) An amendment of the ordinance pursuant to subdivision (a)
20shall not change whether the general law city has an elective mayor.
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