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City Council Meeting 7-24-01 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER 2oia (ccs)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA ADDING SECTION 11.04.175 TO THE SANTA MONICA
MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO INITIATIVE PETITIONS
THE CITY COUNCI L OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES HEREBY ORDAIN
AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 11.04.175 is hereby added to the Santa Monica Municipal
Code to read as follows:
Section 11.04.175. Initiative Information Sheet.
(a} In orderto ensure that any person considering signing an initiative
petition has information about the proposed measure and the initiative
process sufficient to exercise his or her rights in an informed manner, the
City Clerk and City Attorney shall prepare an Initiative Information Sheet to
accompany each petition.
(b) Each Initiative Information Sheet for a particular measure shall
include at least the following: (1) the ballot title prepared by the City Attorney;
(2) the text of the summary prepared by the City Attorney or a condensed
version of the summary; (3) notification of the right to request a copy of the
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full text of the proposed measure from the City Clerk; (4) notification that the
signature gatherer may be compensated for gathering signatures or may be
a volunteer and that the potential signer has the right to ask whether the
gatherer is a volunteer or is being paid; and (5) notification that it is a crime
for signature gatherers to misrepresent the contents of the proposed
measure or to refuse to allow the signer to read the petition or proposed
measu re.
(c) Each person gathering signatures shall provide copies of the
Initiative Information Sheet to every signer of the petition. In addition, each
person gathering signatures shall make copies of the Initiative Information
Sheet readily availabfe to prospective signer either by offering copies orally
or by displaying them prominently in the same location where the signatures
are being gathered so that signers may readily see and take them.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to
effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court
of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining
portions ofthis Ordinance. The City Council herebydeclaresthat itwould have passed this
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Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not
declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance
would be subsequently declared in~alid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage of
this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the official
newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become effective 30
days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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MA HA JONES MOUTRIE
City Attorney
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INITIATIVE/CHARTER AMENDMENT INFORMATION SHEET
C~ty of
Santa Monlcu"
The following information is provided to all Santa Monica residents by the City Clerk's Office of the City of
Santa Monica with the intent of clarifying the initiative and charter amendment process and to answer the
most frequently asked questions. Please nofe that any person soliciting signatures for an iniSative must
make this form available to any member of the pu6lic.
(Attached to this information sheet is the Ballot Title and Summary prepared by the Santa Monica City
Attorney, for the "(TITLE)" measure currently being circulated in the City of Santa Monica.)
What is a City Measure?
A"Measure" is any charter amendment or other propositi~n or initiative (ordinance) submitted to a popular
vote at any election.
How does a Measure get on the ballot? Why are the proponents asking me to sign the petition?
In order to qualify for placement on the ballot of a regular or special future municipal election, proponents of a
measure must follow the process outlined in the State Elections Code. Section 9200 provides for the
initiative process and Section 9255 provides for the charter amendment process. In addition, Chapter 11 of
the Santa Monica Municipat Code provides clarification and local requirements for proposed measures. You
may obtain a copy of the full text of these laws from the Santa Monica City Clerk's Office.
In order to qualify a measure for placement on the ballot, proponents must obtain either 10% or 15% of the
signatures of the registered voters in the City for an initiative, and 15% for a charter amendment. As of June
7, 2001, there are 60,192 registered voters in the City.
What if I don't understand what the peti6on means or what will happen if it passes?
Proponents of a measure are required to print the full text of the measure, as well as the City Attorney's
impartial ballot title and summary, on the petition above the signature lines. You have the right, and are
encouraged, to read it completely and to ask questions before you decide whether or not to sign the petition.
It is a misdemeanor to misrepresent or refuse to allow a potential signer to read a petition or proposed
measure.
In addition, you have the right to ask the signature gatherer any of the following questions:
•• are you a volunteer or a paid signature-gatherer?
• are you being paid per signature or hourly rate, and if so, how much?
• if compensation is non-monetary, what kind of compensation are you receiving?
What if I sign the petitio~, but change my mind later and want to rescind my signature?
Any voter who has signed any petition, and who subsequently wishes his or her name withdrawn, may do so
by filing a written request for the withdrawal of the signature with the City Clerk's Office. This request must
be filed prior to the date the petition is filed with the City Clerk.
What other information can I obtain regarding a proposed measure?
If you would like a copy of the full text of the measure, or if you have any other questions related to measures
or elections, please call the City Clerk's Office at (310) 458-8211.
__ _ _
CITY ATTORNEY'S BALLOT TITLE AND SUMMARY:
An lnitiative Measure Amending Various City Charter Provisions And Adding a Section to The Municipaf
Code to Replace
`This measure woutd amend the City Charter and Municipal Code provisions governing
"(The ballot title and summary would be printed in full.)°
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Adopted and approved this 24th day of July, 2001. -
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Michael Feinstein, ~4layor
State of California )
Caunty of Los Angeles ) ss.
City of Santa Monica )
I, Maria M. Stewart, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby certify that the
foregoing Ordinance No. 2014 (CCS) had it's introduction on July 10, 2001, and was
adopted at the Santa Monica City Council meeting held on July 24, 20d1, by the
following vote:
Ayes: Council members: O'Connor, McKeown, Genser, Mayor Pro Tem Bloom,
Mayor Feinstein
Noes: Council members: Holbrook, Katz
Abstain: Council members: None
Absent: Council members: None
ATTEST:
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Maria M. Stewart, City Clerk