SB 927, as amended, Anderson. Public Utility District Act: election of directors.
The Public Utility District Act authorizes the formation of public utility districts and authorizes a district to acquire, construct, own, operate, or control works for supplying its inhabitants with light, water, power, heat, transportation, telephone service, or other means of communication, or means for the disposition of garbage, sewage, or refuse matter. The act provides for the manner of electing members of the board of directors of a district and generally specifies that, where a district formed and operated pursuant to the act is situated entirely in one county, the directors of the district are elected at large. The act permits directors of any district that is wholly or partially within the County of Placer to be elected at large, by wards, or from wards, as defined.
This bill would permit directors of any district that is wholly or
partially within the County of San Diego to be elected atbegin delete large, by subdistrict, or fromend deletebegin insert large or byend insert subdistricts, as defined. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the need for special legislation with regard to the County of San Diego.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 15961.6 is added to the Public Utilities
2Code, to read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
4division, the candidates for director of any district that is wholly
5or partially within the County of San Diego may be elected at
6begin delete large, by subdistricts, or fromend deletebegin insert large or byend insert subdistricts upon
7adoption of a resolution or ordinance to that effect by the board
8of directors of the district, subject to approval of the board of
9supervisors, or as a part of a change of organization or a
10reorganization conducted pursuant to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg
11Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Division 3
12(commencing with Section 56000) of Title 5 of the Government
13Code).
14(b) A resolution or ordinance that divides a district into
15subdistricts adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall describe the
16boundaries of the subdistricts so that the subdistricts shall be as
17nearly equal in population as may be.
18(c) As used in this section,begin delete the following terms have the begin insert “by subdistricts” means the election of
19following meanings:end delete
20members of the board end insertbegin insertof directors by voters of the subdistrict alone.end insert
21(1) “By subdistricts” means the election of members of the board
22of directors by voters of the subdistrict alone.
23(2) “From subdistricts” means the election of members of the
24board of directors who are residents of the subdistrict from which
25they are elected by the voters of the entire district.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law
27is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable
28within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
29Constitution because of the need to bring public utility districts in
30the County of San Diego into compliance with the California
31Voting Rights Act of 2001 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section
3214025) of Division 14 of the Elections Code).
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
2immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
3the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
4immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
5In order that election procedures for public utility districts in the
6County of San Diego conform to the California Voting Rights Act
7of 2001 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 14025) of Division
814 of the Elections Code) as soon as possible, it is necessary for
9this act to take effect immediately.
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