SR 06-14-2016 8A 2 of 6 references to E xhibits that were deleted from the Chapter in November 2015 ; 3) clarify that candidate disclosure statements to be filed with the City Clerk’s Office must be “electronically filed”; and 4) prohibit references to ca ndidates’ party affiliations or political organizations in candidate statements, and require the translation of candidate statements to be completed by certified translators . Background Section 1400 of the City Charter provides that a General Municipal El ection shall be held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November of each even numbered year for the purpose of the election of elected officers. The City of Santa Monica has been consolidating municipal elections and obtaining services fro m the LA County Registrar -Recorder since the mid 1980’s. As a result , it is necessary to adopt the resolutions calling the election, request consolidation with the Statewide General election and requesting election services from LA County Registrar -Record er. On January 1, 2014 , State law changed from allowing any person registered to vote at the election to circulate petitions to any person who is the age of 18 , regardless of their voter registration status or United States citizenship . At the Novembe r 10 , 2015 Council meeting, the Council a mended the City’s E lections C ode by deleting e xhibits of sample petitions , and mandating electronic filing of campaign statements for referendum s , candidates and controlled committees . This proposed ordinance will d elete references to those exhibits which appear in other sections of Chapter 11.04. At the June 9, 1992 Council meeting, the Council last amended section 11.04.120 (Candidate’s Statement of Qualifications) as part of a Campaign and Election Reform Ordinanc e . Discussion
3 of 6 The first resolution (Attachment A) calls for the General Election and gives notice that four City Council seats, two Rent Control Board seats, three Board of Education seats, and three Community College District Board of Trustees seats are to be filled at the November 8, 2016 General Municipal Election. At this time, no measures have qualified or been placed on the ballot. The second resolution (Attachment B ) requests that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approve the consolidatio n of the City’s General Municipal Election with the statewide General Election to be held on the same date, and that the statewide General Election and General Municipal Election be held in all respects as if there were only one election. The third resolut ion (Attachment C ) requests that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors direct the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters to provide all necessary election services, to the extent determined necessary by the City Clerk, to : prepare, print and mail sam ple ballots and polling place information to the registered voters of the City . Vendor/Consultant Selection Staff recommends the City Manager to enter into a contract with Martin & Chapman Company, in an amount not to exceed $164,100. The company would f urnish and provide election consulting services and supplies such as pre -election materials, nomination forms, voter information pamphlets, mailing labels, postage and delivery/mailing services and certified Spanish translation services. This year, staff plans to publish two separate Supplemental Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlets in English and Spanish, and mail Spanish pamphlets in Spanish to only those voters who are on the County voter file as having requested a pamphlet in Spanish. Based o n 2014 costs, the savings from reducing the number of printed pages and postage is estimated to be $8,100. This purchase meets the City's exception to competitive bidding criteria as competition does not exist. The County of Los Angeles and most Southern California municipalities that conduct stand -alone elections have historically obtained services from Martin & Chapman. The City of Santa Monica also
4 of 6 has a long history of obtaining election services with Martin & Chapman. Amendments to Santa Monica Mun icipal Code, Chapter 11.04 Elections The following are proposed amendments to the Election C ode to sections 11.04.101, 11.04.160 and 11.04.165 respectively, to make corrections and clarifying changes : 1. update the requirement that petition circulators must b e 18 years of age or older parallel to State law ; 2. delete references to Exhibits that are no longer a part of the code ; and 3. clarify references to “file ” campaign disclosure statements to “electronically file” statements . The following proposed amendments to section 11.04.120 (Candidate’s statement of qualifications), updates and incorporates State guidelines to the Municipal Code: 1. prohibit candidates from including additional materials, aside from the Candidate Statement, in the voter pamphlet; 2. prohibit cand idates from including their party affiliation, membership or activity in partisan political organizations in the Candidate Statement ; 3. require the City Clerk to translate election information , including the Candidate Statement, in Spanish, and to obtain tra nslation services from certified translators, per Voting Rights Act; 4. prohibit candidates from referring to other candidates in the Candidate Statement; and 5. re q uire the City Clerk to comply with all recommendations and standards set forth by the California Secretary of State regarding occupational designations and other matters relating to elections . Limitations on Contributions from Persons
5 of 6 Although not a part of the proposed amendments, i t should also be noted that the limitations on contributions to Cit y Council and Rent Control candidates will be adjusted from $325 to $340 commencing on July 1, 2016 (SMMC 11.04.050). Calculations are based on the amount equal to the percentage change in the CPI -W Index for the Los Angeles County area (increase of 5.3%), as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and rounded to the nearest five dollars. The next adjustment will be on July 1, 2021 and affect the November 2022 Election. Public Outreach Notice of the e lection will be published in the local newspaper s and mailed to neighborhood groups and interested entities. A ll election information will be available on www.smvote.org and promote the election on Seascape, the City’s social media sites and videos on CityTV ’s YouTube C hannel . As in previous years, the City Clerk’s Office will : host two Candidate Workshops on the first day of the Nomination Period , and a Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Workshop for Candidates/Treasurer in August; and hold voter registration dr ives at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Earlier in the month, the City Clerk participated in an election workshop with the Santa Monica League of Women Voters, staff held voter registration drives at Santa Monica High School and the Open Streets COAST Ev ent. The Clerk’s Office also served as the County’s Will Call Ballot Pickup and Drop -Off facility for the June 7 th Primary Election and if the County deems the program successful, hope to do so again for the November election . Financial Impacts and Budget Actions The proposed FY 2016 -17 budget includes an elections budget of $505,156 in the Records & Election Services (City Clerk) Department . The consolidated costs, once received from the Los Angeles County Clerk, will be pro -rated and the City will be re imbursed by the Santa Monica Rent Control Board, the Santa Monica -Malibu Unified School District, and the Santa Monica Community College District for the costs of each
6 of 6 respective election. Reimbursements for costs will be deposited in revenue account 0121 2.401020. It is estimated that Santa Monica's pro -rated cost for the City Council election is $14 0 ,5 00. Funds are available in the proposed FY 2016 -17 budget in division 01212. The contract to be awarded to Martin & Chapman Company is for an amount not t o exceed $164,100. Funds are available in the FY 2016 -17 budget in the Records & Election Services (City Clerk) Department. The contract will be charged to account 01212.555060. Prepared By: Denise Anderson -Warren, City Clerk Approved Forwarded to Co uncil Attachments: A. Resolution Calling General Municipal Election B. Resolution Approving Consolidating with the County of Los Angeles C. Resolution Requesting the County to Render Election Services D. November 10, 2015 Council meeting staff report (Web link) E. Proposed Amendments to Chapter 11.04 Elections