CHAPTER 3. Municipal Elections [9200. - 9295.]

Chapter 3 enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.

§§ 9200–9295 · 65 sections

1. ARTICLE 1. Initiative §§ 9200–9226 · 25 sections

   • § 9200 Ordinances may be enacted by and for any incorporated city pursuant to this article.
   • § 9201 Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the legislative body of the city by a petition filed with the elections official of the legislative body, in the…
   • § 9202 (a) Before circulating an initiative petition in any city, the proponents of the matter shall file with the elections official a notice of intention to do so,…
   • § 9202.5 From the time materials pertaining to an initiative petition are filed pursuant to Section 9202 until the day after the elections official determines that the…
   • § 9203 (a) Any person who is interested in any proposed measure shall file a copy of the proposed measure with the elections official with a request that a ballot…
   • § 9204 Any elector of the city may seek a writ of mandate requiring the ballot title or summary prepared by the city attorney to be amended. The court shall expedite…
   • § 9205 A notice of intention and the title and summary of the proposed measure shall be published or posted or both as follows: (a) If there is a newspaper of general…
   • § 9206 Within 10 days after the date of publication or posting, or both, of the notice of intention and title and summary, the proponents shall file a copy of the…
   • § 9207 The proponents may commence to circulate the petitions among the voters of the city for signatures by any registered voter of the city after publication or…
   • § 9208 Signatures upon petitions and sections of petitions shall be secured, and the petition, together with all sections of the petition, shall be filed within 180…
   • § 9209 Each section shall have attached thereto the declaration of the person soliciting the signatures. This declaration shall be substantially in the same form as…
   • § 9210 The petition shall be filed by the proponents or by a person or persons authorized in writing by the proponents. All sections of the petition shall be filed at…
   • § 9211 After the petition has been filed, as herein provided, the elections official shall examine the petition in the same manner as are county petitions in…
   • § 9212 (a) During the circulation of the petition, or before taking either action described in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 9215, the legislative body may…
   • § 9213 On or before April 1 of each odd-numbered year, the elections official of each legislative body shall file a report with the Secretary of State containing the…
   • § 9215 If the initiative petition is signed by not less than 10 percent of the voters of the city, according to the last report of registration by the county…
   • § 9215.5 The proponent of an initiative may withdraw the initiative at any time before the 88th day before the election, whether or not the petition has already been…
   • § 9216 In cities having a mayor, or like officer, with the veto power, when the passage of an ordinance petitioned for by the voters is vetoed, the failure of the…
   • § 9217 If a majority of the voters voting on a proposed ordinance vote in its favor, the ordinance shall become a valid and binding ordinance of the city. The…
   • § 9218 Any number of proposed ordinances may be voted upon at the same election, but the same subject matter shall not be voted upon twice within any 12-month period…
   • § 9221 If the provisions of two or more ordinances adopted at the same election conflict, the ordinance receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall…
   • § 9222 The legislative body of the city may submit to the voters, without a petition therefor, a proposition for the repeal, amendment, or enactment of any ordinance,…
   • § 9223 Whenever any ordinance or measure is required by this article to be submitted to the voters of a city at any election, the elections official of the…
   • § 9224 The enacting clause of an ordinance submitted to the voters of a city shall be substantially in the following form: “The people of the City of ________ do…
   • § 9226 This article does not apply to any statewide initiative measure.
2. ARTICLE 2. Referendum §§ 9235–9247 · 15 sections

   • § 9235 No ordinance shall become effective until 30 days from and after the date of its final passage, except: (a) An ordinance calling or otherwise relating to an…
   • § 9236 (a) Notwithstanding Section 9235, ordinances authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds by a city as part of a joint powers entity pursuant to Section 6547 of…
   • § 9237 If a petition protesting the adoption of an ordinance, and circulated by a person who meets the requirements of Section 102, is submitted to the elections…
   • § 9237.2 The proponent of a referendum may withdraw the referendum at any time before the 88th day before the election, whether or not the petition has already been…
   • § 9237.5 The provisions of this code relating to the form of petitions, the duties of the county elections official, and the manner of holding elections shall govern…
   • § 9238 (a) Across the top of each page of the referendum petition there shall be printed the following: “Referendum Against an Ordinance Passed by the City Council”…
   • § 9239 Petitions shall be accepted for filing by the elections official and the determination of the number of signatures thereon shall be made by the elections…
   • § 9240 After the petition has been filed as herein provided, the elections official shall examine the petition and certify the results in the same manner as are…
   • § 9241 If the legislative body does not entirely repeal the ordinance against which the petition is filed, the legislative body shall submit the ordinance to the…
   • § 9242 Signatures upon petitions, and sections thereof, shall be secured, and the petition, together with all sections thereof, shall be filed, within 30 days from…
   • § 9243 Elections pursuant to this article shall be held in accordance with Sections 9217 to 9225, inclusive.
   • § 9244 Whenever the legislative body of a city has voted in favor of the repeal of an ordinance protested against by the voters, as provided in this article, and the…
   • § 9245 If approval of an ordinance by the mayor or like officer is necessary, the date of approval shall be deemed the date of its final passage by the legislative…
   • § 9246 Any duty imposed in this chapter upon the legislative body of a city with regard to calling a municipal election, or in connection with an election called…
   • § 9247 Article 1 (commencing with Section 9200) and this article do not apply to cities having a charter adopted under Section 3 of Article XI of the California…
3. ARTICLE 3. City or City and County Charters §§ 9255–9269 · 16 sections

   • § 9255 (a) A charter or charter amendment proposed by a charter commission, whether elected or appointed by a governing body, for a city or city and county shall be…
   • § 9256 The proponents of a measure proposing to amend a charter shall publish or post, or both, a notice of intent to circulate the petition in the same form and…
   • § 9257 The petition signed by registered voters of the city or city and county proposing an amendment to a charter shall set forth in full the text of the proposed…
   • § 9258 The petition may be circulated in sections, but each section shall contain a correct copy of the text of the proposed amendment.
   • § 9259 Each signer of the petition shall sign it in the manner prescribed by Section 9020.
   • § 9260 The petition shall be in substantially the following form: Petition for Submission to Voters of Proposed Amendment to the Charter of the City (or City and…
   • § 9261 Each section shall have attached thereto the affidavit of the person soliciting the signatures. This affidavit shall be substantially in the same form as set…
   • § 9262 Each petition section shall consist of sheets of white paper, uniform in size, with dimensions no smaller than 81/2 by 11 inches or greater than 81/2 by 14…
   • § 9263 The sheets comprising each petition section shall be fastened together securely and remain so during circulation and filing.
   • § 9264 A voter may withdraw his or her signature from a petition in the manner prescribed in Section 9602.
   • § 9265 The petition shall be filed with the elections official by the proponents, or by any person or persons authorized in writing by the proponents. All sections of…
   • § 9266 After the petition has been filed, the elections official shall examine the petition in the same manner as are county petitions in accordance with Sections…
   • § 9266.5 The proponent of a measure proposing to amend a charter may withdraw the charter amendment at any time before the 88th day before the election, whether or not…
   • § 9267 Petitions that do not substantially conform to the form requirements of this article shall not be accepted for filing by the elections official.
   • § 9268 The conduct of election and publication requirements shall substantially conform with Part 1 (commencing with Section 10000) and Part 2 (commencing with…
   • § 9269 Upon the completion of the canvass of votes, the governing body of a city or city and county shall pass a resolution reciting the fact of the election and such…
4. ARTICLE 4. Arguments Concerning City Measures §§ 9280–9287 · 7 sections

   • § 9280 Whenever a city measure qualifies for a place on the ballot, the governing body may direct the city elections official to transmit a copy of the measure to the…
   • § 9281 If no other method is provided by general law, or, in the case of a chartered city, by the charter or by city ordinance, arguments for and against any city…
   • § 9282 (a) For measures placed on the ballot by petition, the persons filing an initiative petition pursuant to this article may file a written argument in favor of…
   • § 9283 A ballot argument may not be accepted under this article unless accompanied by the printed name and signature or printed names and signatures of the author or…
   • § 9285 (a) (1) When an argument in favor and an argument against a measure have been selected to be printed in the voter information guide, the elections official…
   • § 9286 (a) Based on the time reasonably necessary to prepare and print the arguments and voter information guides and to permit the 10-calendar-day public examination…
   • § 9287 (a) If more than one argument for or more than one argument against any city measure is submitted to the city elections official within the time prescribed, he…
5. ARTICLE 5. Mailings § 9290 · 1 section

   • § 9290 Whenever the elections official is required to mail official matter, as provided in Sections 9223, 9280, 9281, 9282, and 9285, only one copy of each piece of…
6. ARTICLE 6. Public Examination § 9295 · 1 section

   • § 9295 (a) The elections official shall make a copy of the material referred to in Sections 9223, 9280, 9281, 9282, and 9285 available for public examination in the…