Recall petitions.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms.

Recall Petition Rules

The bill changes rules about recall petitions, requiring paid signature gatherers to disclose their payment status and setting new deadlines for submitting petitions.

What This Bill Does

• Requires paid signature gatherers to tell people they are being paid before giving them a petition to sign.
• Needs the reasons for recalling an officer to be signed under penalty of perjury by those who start the recall process.
• Sets a fixed deadline of 80 days for submitting petitions to recall superior court judges, regardless of voter numbers.

Who It Names or Affects

• Paid signature gatherers who collect signatures for recall petitions.
• People starting the process to recall an elected official.
• Local elections officials and superior court judges facing recalls.

Terms To Know

Recall petition

A document used by voters to remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

Penalty of perjury

A legal requirement that someone signing a statement is telling the truth, with possible criminal penalties for lying.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how it will be enforced.
• It only applies to recall petitions and does not change rules for other types of voter initiatives or referendums.

Official Summary Text

SB 1369, as amended, Reyes.
Recall petitions.
(1) Existing law requires a state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition that is required to be signed by voters to contain specified notices, including a notice that the petition may be circulated by a paid signature gatherer or volunteer.
This bill would additionally require the paid signature gatherer to orally disclose to each person, before providing the petition for the person’s signature, that they are being paid to circulate the petition.
(2)
Existing law requires proponents of the recall of an elective officer to file and publish a notice of intention to circulate the recall petition. The notice of intention must contain a statement of the reasons for the proposed recall.
This bill would
require the proponents of the recall to sign the statement of reasons under penalty of perjury. By requiring the statement to be signed under penalty of perjury, the bill would create a new crime and therefore establish a state-mandated local program.
(3)
(2)
Existing law requires a recall petition for a local officer to be submitted to the elections official within a specified number of days after the clerk notifies the proponents that the form and wording of the petition comply with certain requirements. The number of days depends upon the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction.
For the recall of a superior court judge, this bill would instead require the petition to be
submitted within 80 days after the clerk notifies the proponents, regardless of the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction.
(4)
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.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF