BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                    SB 66|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 445-6614         Fax: (916) |                         |
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 66
          Author:   Vargas (D)
          Amended:  1/6/11
          Vote:     27 - Urgency

           
           SENATE GOVERNANCE & FINANCE COMMITTEE  :  9-0, 2/16/10
          AYES:  Wolk, Huff, DeSaulnier, Fuller, Hancock, Hernandez, 
            Kehoe, La Malfa, Liu


           SUBJECT  :    Imperial County:  registrar of voters

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill authorizes the Imperial County Board 
          of Supervisors to appoint a registrar of voters separate 
          from the county clerk. 

           ANALYSIS  :    State law authorizes supervisors in 11 
          counties (El Dorado, Kings, Lake, Marin, Merced, Monterey, 
          Napa, Riverside, San Joaquin, Solano, and Tulare) to 
          appoint a registrar of voters separate from the county 
          clerk.  Supervisors in six of those counties separately 
          appoint a registrar of voters.  In Mono County, voters 
          authorized county supervisors to appoint a county 
          clerk-recorder-registrar of voters.

          The California Constitution allows a county to adopt a 
          voter-approved charter that provides for consolidating and 
          separating county officers and specifies the manner of 
          filling vacant county offices.  The registrar of voters is 
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          an appointed office in eight of the 14 charter counties.

          This bill authorizes the Imperial County Board of 
          Supervisors to appoint a registrar of voters separate from 
          the county clerk.

           Comments  

          In 2009, Imperial County supervisors passed an ordinance 
          that transferred, on January 3, 2011, the registrar of 
          voters' duties from the county clerk-recorder to a 
          separate, appointed registrar of voters.  However, because 
          Imperial County is a general law county, state law must be 
          changed to authorize this reorganization.

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

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  2/16/11)

          American Federation of State, County and Municipal 
          Employees
          Imperial County Board of Supervisors


          AGB:mw  2/16/11   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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