Page 8 - Special District Handbook with Cover-Final

WHAT IS AN INITIATIVE?

An initiative is the power of the electors to propose a new ordinance by which they will be governed. In addition to any other method provided by law, ordinances may be enacted by any district pursuant to Division 9, Chapter 4, Article 1 of the Elections Code, except that this article shall not apply to:

• Irrigation districts;

• A district formed under a law that does not provide a procedure for elections; • A district formed under a law which does not provide for action by ordinance; • A district governed by an election procedure that permits voters, in electing the district’s directors or trustees, to cast more than one vote per voter; or

• A district in which the directors are empowered to cast more than one vote per director, when acting on any matter. Elec. Code § 9300

Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the governing board of the district by an initiative petition filed with the district’s election official. Elec. Code § 9301

WHOM DO I CONTACT FOR INFORMATION ON INITIATIVES?

The district’s elections official of the jurisdiction in which the petition is being distributed is the contact person in the case of the circulation and filing of a special district initiative petition. Contact the elections official of the appropriate district for this information.

The Registrar of Voters is the elections official in the case of a countywide initiative. Contact the Registrar of Voters at ocvote.com/election-library or (714) 567-7600.

The City Clerk is the elections official in the case of a city initiative. Contact the City Clerk of the appropriate city for this information. You can find a contact list of city clerks on our website by visiting ocvote.com/community/city-clerk-partnership/.

HOW LONG WILL THE PROCESS TAKE?

• The clock starts ticking when the Notice of Intention and Statement of

Reasons are published or posted, or both. Elec. Code § 9306

• To give you an idea of how long the process will take, an example of a timeline has been prepared. (See Exhibit A, page 28, of the handbook.)

• This sample timeline is an example, and does not represent an exact timeline for your particular initiative . It is provided to give you a general idea of the length of the process.

3