Recall elections: notice of intention.

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included claims about the importance of privacy and safety which are not directly supported by the provided official material.

Recall Elections: Notice of Intention

The bill requires redacting personal information from notices of intention for recall elections and mandates posting on internet websites if no local newspaper is available.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the removal of proponents' signatures, street numbers, and names from public view in notices of intention before they are made available to the public.
• Adds a declaration where proponents confirm their understanding that signing initiates the recall petition process and acknowledges it as a public record.
• If there is no local newspaper, requires posting notices on at least three internet websites instead.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who want to start a recall petition process
• Local and state officials involved in managing recall elections

Terms To Know

Recall election

A special type of election where voters can remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

Notice of intention

The formal announcement that starts the process to recall an elected official.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify how long proponents' information must be kept private.
• It's unclear if this bill will become law after passing both chambers of the legislature.

Official Summary Text

SB 1357, as introduced, Ochoa Bogh.
Recall elections: notice of intention.
Existing law governs the recall of certain state and local elective officers. Existing law requires proponents of a recall to serve, file, and publish a copy of the notice of intention to recall the elective officer, as specified. Existing law requires the notice of intention to contain, among other things, the printed name, signature, and residence address, including street and number, city, and ZIP Code, of each proponent of the recall. Existing law requires publication of the notice of intention in a newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled. If there is no newspaper of general circulation, the notice of intention must be posted in at least 3 public places within the jurisdiction.
This bill would require the proponents’ signatures and the street numbers and street names of their residence to be
redacted or otherwise excluded from the notice of intention before it is made available to the public. The bill would require a notice of intention to contain a declaration in which proponents confirm, among other things, that they understand they are signing to initiate the recall petition process and that the notice of intention is a public record. If there is no newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled, the bill would require the notice of intention to also be posted on at least 3 internet websites.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF