[CRNMC] County Charter

[bodhirobin at pacific.net]

Also, I spoke to Norm DeVall.  
He said when
he was a county supervisor, that he wanted to get a charter 
going
but couldn't recruit enough support from others, but it never got off the
ground.  
Norm said that he had communicated with the people who had
been involved with 
the previous charter effort back in the '50's. 
It lost by 1 vote.  

Norm said the "Big 4" always
oppose it.  
1) The North Coast Builders Exchange
2) The
Employers Council
3) Farm Bureau
4) Board of Realtors

Norm said they asked for an "Economic Impact Report" before
putting a charter on 
the ballot.  He suggests we find out if we will
need one, or that was an obstacle 
invented by the Big 4.  

Norm wants to have a dinner at his house in Elk with 6 advocates of a
county charter.
He also wants to know more about the public bank.  He
asked who could tell him more.  
I said I could but I think he needs
to hear it from someone more authoritative than me.  
Maybe Marc
Armstrong?  Locally, no one knows more about it than me, Ellen or
Agnes.

It looks like the CA Government Code states that 2
things go on the 
ballot together.  One is the charter question
stated in GC34453, and 
the other are the individuals who are running
for election to the 
Charter Commission.  

Each person
running for the Charter Commission has to get on the ballot
the same
way I got on the ballot to run for Assessor, with a petition 
of
voters' signatures.  If the charter question fails, it doesn't matter
who got elected to the Commission.  But if the charter question
passes
with 50% +1 votes, then the 15 best voted candidates become
Commissioners. 

Sounds like a bonanza of fees to the county,
having a ballot measure and 
15+ candidates all paying fees to run
for election.  The statute does say
that the government has to foot
the bill for the election.  

It keeps
saying "for a city or a city and county."  Nothing here 
mentions a county alone.  I wonder if these are the wrong statues?
 

In Peace, Robin


34450.  Any city or city and county may enact, amend, or repeal a

charter for its own government according to this article or 
Article 3 (commencing with Section 9255) of Chapter 3 of 
Division
9 of the Elections Code.  34451.  The charter may be 
proposed by a
charter commission chosen by the voters of the city 
or city and
county, at any general or special election, but no 
person shall be
eligible as a candidate for the commission unless 
he or she is a
registered voter of the city or city and county.  

34452.  (a)
An election for choosing charter commissioners may be 
called by a
majority vote of the governing body of a city or city 
and county, or
on presentation of a
petition signed by not less 
than 15 percent of the registered voters
of the city or city and 
county. The petition shall be
verified by the authority having charge
 of the registration
records of the city or city and county and the 
expenses of the
verification shall be provided by the governing body 
thereof. The
governing body shall call an election pursuant to 
Sections 1000 and
10403 of the Elections Code.    
(b) If any vacancy arises in a
charter commission established for a 
city or city and county
pursuant to this chapter, the vacancy shall 
be filled by an
appointment by the mayor of the city or city and 
county. 

34453.  At an election the voters shall vote first on the question 
"Shall a charter commission be elected to propose a new
charter?" and, 
secondly, for the candidates of the office of
charter commissioner. 
If the first question receives a majority of
the votes of the qualified 
voters voting thereon at the election,
the 15 candidates for the office 
of charter commissioner receiving
the highest number of votes shall 
forthwith organize as a charter
commission. However, if the first 
question receives less than a
majority of the votes of the qualified 
voters voting thereon at the
election no charter commission shall be 
deemed to have been elected.
 

34454.  Candidates for the office of charter commissioner
shall be 
nominated either in the same manner provided for the
nomination of 
officers of the municipal or city and county
government, or by 
petition substantially in the same manner provided
by general laws 
for the nomination by petition of candidates for
public offices to 
be voted for at general elections.

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