[CRNMC] County Charter

[Shannon Biggs]

We can likely help you with the charter commission election - some expertise with me and CELDF on this. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 30, 2014, at 9:56 AM, "bodhirobin at pacific.net" <bodhirobin at pacific.net> wrote:

> 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.
> <untitled-[2].html>
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