Amended in Assembly July 7, 2015

Amended in Senate April 20, 2015

Senate Bill No. 493

Introduced by Senator Cannella

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(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Alejo)

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February 26, 2015

An act to add Section begin delete 34885 end delete begin insert 34886 end insert to the Government Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 493, as amended, Cannella. Elections in cities: by or from districts.

Existing 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. Existing 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 a city begin insert with a population of fewer than 100,000 people end insert to adopt an ordinance that requires the members of the legislative body to be elected by district or by district with an elective mayor without being required to submit the ordinance to the voters for approval. begin insert The bill would require the ordinance to include a specified declaration and would require the population of the city to be determined by the most recent federal decennial census. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section begin delete 34885 end delete begin insert 34886 end insert is added to the Government
Code, to read:

begin delete 34885. end delete
begin insert 34886. end insert   

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert Notwithstanding Section 34871 or any other law,
the legislative body of a city begin insert with a population of fewer than
100,000 people end insert may adopt an ordinance that requires the members
of the legislative body to be elected by district or by district with
an elective mayor, as described in subdivisions (a) and (c) of
Section 34871, without being required to submit the ordinance to
the voters for approval. begin insert An ordinance adopted pursuant to this
subdivision shall include a declaration that the change in the
method of electing members of the legislative body is being made
in furtherance of the purposes of the California Voting Rights Act
of 2001 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 14025) of Division
14 of the Elections Code). end insert

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(b) For purposes of this section, the population of a city shall
be determined by the most recent federal decennial census.

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