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<pre><font face="Arial">Also, I spoke to Norm DeVall. <br />He said when
he was a county supervisor, that he wanted to get a charter <br />going
but couldn't recruit enough support from others, but it never got off the
ground. <br />Norm said that he had communicated with the people who had
been involved with <br />the previous charter effort back in the '50's.
It lost by 1 vote. <br /><br />Norm said the "Big 4" always
oppose it. <br />1) The North Coast Builders Exchange<br />2) The
Employers Council<br />3) Farm Bureau<br />4) Board of Realtors<br /><br
/>Norm said they asked for an "Economic Impact Report" before
putting a charter on <br />the ballot. He suggests we find out if we will
need one, or that was an obstacle <br />invented by the Big 4. <br /><br
/>Norm wants to have a dinner at his house in Elk with 6 advocates of a
county charter.<br />He also wants to know more about the public bank. He
asked who could tell him more. <br />I said I could but I think he needs
to hear it from someone more authoritative than me. <br />Maybe Marc
Armstrong? Locally, no one knows more about it than me, Ellen or
Agnes.<br /><br />It looks like the CA Government Code states that 2
things go on the <br />ballot together. One is the charter question
stated in GC34453, and <br />the other are the individuals who are running
for election to the <br />Charter Commission. <br /><br />Each person
running for the Charter Commission has to get on the ballot<br />the same
way I got on the ballot to run for Assessor, with a petition <br />of
voters' signatures. If the charter question fails, it doesn't matter<br
/>who got elected to the Commission. But if the charter question
passes<br />with 50% +1 votes, then the 15 best voted candidates become
Commissioners. <br /><br />Sounds like a bonanza of fees to the county,
having a ballot measure and <br />15+ candidates all paying fees to run
for election. The statute does say<br />that the government has to foot
the bill for the election.</font> <br /><font face="Arial"><br />It keeps
saying "for a city or a city and county." Nothing here <br
/>mentions a county alone. I wonder if these are the wrong statues?
</font> <br /><br /><font face="Arial">In Peace, Robin</font><br /><br
/><br />34450. Any city or city and county may enact, amend, or repeal a
<br />charter for its own government according to this article or <br
/>Article 3 (commencing with Section 9255) of Chapter 3 of <br />Division
9 of the Elections Code. 34451. The charter may be <br />proposed by a
charter commission chosen by the voters of the city <br />or city and
county, at any general or special election, but no <br />person shall be
eligible as a candidate for the commission unless <br />he or she is a
registered voter of the city or city and county. <br /><br />34452. (a)
An election for choosing charter commissioners may be <br />called by a
majority vote of the governing body of a city or city <br />and county, or
on presentation of <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">a
petition signed by not less <br />than 15 percent of the registered voters
of the city or city and <br />county. </span>The petition shall be
verified by the authority having charge<br /> of the registration
records of the city or city and county and the <br />expenses of the
verification shall be provided by the governing body <br />thereof. The
governing body shall call an election pursuant to <br />Sections 1000 and
10403 of the Elections Code. <br />(b) If any vacancy arises in a
charter commission established for a <br />city or city and county
pursuant to this chapter, the vacancy shall <br />be filled by an
appointment by the mayor of the city or city and <br />county. <br /><br
/>34453. At an election the voters shall vote first on the question <br
/>"Shall a charter commission be elected to propose a new
charter?" and, <br />secondly, for the candidates of the office of
charter commissioner. <br />If the first question receives a majority of
the votes of the qualified <br />voters voting thereon at the election,
the 15 candidates for the office <br />of charter commissioner receiving
the highest number of votes shall <br />forthwith organize as a charter
commission. However, if the first <br />question receives less than a
majority of the votes of the qualified <br />voters voting thereon at the
election no charter commission shall be <br />deemed to have been elected.
<br /><br />34454. Candidates for the office of charter commissioner
shall be <br />nominated either in the same manner provided for the
nomination of <br />officers of the municipal or city and county
government, or by <br />petition substantially in the same manner provided
by general laws <br />for the nomination by petition of candidates for
public offices to <br />be voted for at general elections.</pre>
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