Recall elections: notice of intention.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on why protecting personal information is important, only that legislative findings are made to demonstrate the need for such protection.

Recall Elections: Notice of Intention

The bill requires redaction of personal information from notices of intention for recall elections and mandates posting on at least three websites if there is no local newspaper.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the signatures and street addresses of proponents to be removed before the notice of intention is made public.
• Adds a declaration that proponents must sign confirming they understand their role in initiating the recall petition process and that this notice is a public record.
• If there's no local newspaper, it requires posting notices on at least three internet websites.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who want to start a recall election
• Local government 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 for a recall election, which includes details about who wants to start it and why.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if websites are unavailable or if there is no internet access.
• It does not change how recall elections work overall; only how notices of intention are handled.
• The bill's final approval by the governor is still pending.

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