County, city, and district initiative petitions.

Existing law permits a proposed ordinance to be submitted to a county board of supervisors, a legislative body of a city, or a governing board of a district by filing an initiative petition with the appropriate elections official, signed by not less than a specified number of voters. Under existing law, before a proponent of a county or city initiative measure may circulate an initiative petition for signatures, he or she is required to file specified materials with the elections official, including a notice of intention to do so and the written text of the initiative. Under existing law, before a proponent of a district initiative measure may circulate an initiative petition for signatures, he or she is required to publish or post a notice of intention to do so and a statement of the reasons for the initiative petition. From the time materials pertaining to a county, city, or district initiative petition are filed until the day after the elections official determines that the initiative petition does not contain the minimum number of signatures required, the day after the election at which the initiative measure is put before the voters, or the day after the proposed ordinance is adopted by the relevant governing body, as applicable, this bill would require an elections official to retain at his or her office specified materials filed by the proponents of the measure and to furnish a copy of those materials to any person upon request. The bill would permit an elections official to charge a fee to a person obtaining copies of these materials, as specified. The bill would also require a proponent of a district initiative measure to file specified materials, including the written text of the measure, with the district elections official prior to circulating the initiative petition for signatures. By increasing the duties of elections officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.