This law explains that the rules in this chapter are specifically for recalling state officers in California. When recalling state officers, other constitutional sections and specific chapters of California law also apply alongside this chapter.

This law states that unless an official investigation proves otherwise, it is assumed that a petition has the correct number of valid signatures from registered voters.

If you're gathering signatures to recall an elected official, you must submit each part of the petition to the elections office in the county where you collected them.

When petition sections are being filed, they must be submitted either by the supporters of the petition or someone they've given written permission to. Each time a person files the petition sections, they need to show the elections official this written authorization.

This law section outlines the procedures that an elections official in California must follow when handling recall petitions. Every 30 days after a recall starts, and more often if they choose, they must report the number of signatures collected and verified to the Secretary of State. This report must cover signatures gathered in the previous 30 days, excluding weekends and holidays.

They must report both the total number of signatures submitted and the number of valid signatures verified. The validity of the signatures is checked as detailed in another law, Section 9031. Once every 30 days, they must also attach a form, provided by the Secretary of State, to the petition and submit copies to the necessary parties. Additionally, they are not required to verify signatures until at least 10 percent of the necessary signatures for the recall qualification have been submitted.

After all signatures for a petition are submitted, they must be verified by the elections official promptly, using the process outlined in another section. However, if the usual 60-day verification process would prevent the recall election from being held at the same time as the next scheduled election, the verification must be completed within 30 days, not counting weekends and holidays.

This law requires the official in charge of elections to attach a certificate to a petition after checking it. This certificate indicates the results of the review. A copy of the petition, minus the signatures, must be sent to the Secretary of State. Another copy of the certificate should be kept in the official's office.

This law outlines the steps that need to happen when enough signatures are collected to start a recall election. First, the Secretary of State informs county elections officials. Voters have 30 days to withdraw their signatures if they want. If there are enough valid signatures, the Secretary of State informs the Department of Finance to estimate the recall's cost. These costs include things like verifying signatures and running polling places, and they estimate expenses for both a special election and one held during a regular election. These estimates go to the Governor, Secretary of State, and a legislative committee. The recall can't move forward until the financial estimates are reviewed by the budget committee or sufficient funds are appropriated. Finally, the Secretary of State publishes the cost estimate online.

Once enough valid signatures are gathered for a proposal, the Secretary of State confirms this and informs the Governor.

Once the Secretary of State confirms that there are enough valid signatures on a recall petition, the Governor must announce that an election will be held. Officials in charge of elections will handle all the necessary preparations. This recall election is to be conducted and the results announced just like any other state election.