Elections: county officers.

The California Constitution requires the Legislature to provide for an elected county sheriff, elected district attorney, and elected assessor in each county. Existing law also provides that the county treasurer, clerk, auditor, tax collector, recorder, public administrator, and coroner are elective offices unless a county makes them appointive offices, as specified. Existing law generally requires the election to select county officers to be held with the statewide primary election at which candidates for Governor are nominated, but if no candidate for a county office receives a majority of the votes cast for that office at the primary election, the 2 candidates who received the most votes advance to the statewide general election at which the Governor is elected. This bill would require the election to select district attorney and sheriff to be held with the presidential primary and would require, if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for the office at the presidential primary, the 2 candidates who received the most votes to advance to a general election held with the presidential general election. The bill would provide for a 6-year term for a district attorney or sheriff elected in 2022. The bill would authorize a county board of supervisors to adopt an ordinance to also hold the election for other county officers with the presidential primary. To the extent changing the date for election of district attorney and sheriff would impose additional duties on local 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.