There shall be an election in each district on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered year at such place in or near the district as designated by the board. The costs of the election shall be a charge upon the district.
General ElectionsCalling
Section § 50730
This law requires that districts hold elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every odd-numbered year. The election must be held at a location in or near the district, as determined by the board overseeing the district. The district is responsible for covering the costs of conducting the election.
district election odd-numbered year November election
Section § 50731
This law states that if either the board of trustees recommends it or a verified petition is received from 20% of the landowners (who collectively own at least 20% of the land value), the board of supervisors must schedule a general district election. This election is for any unexpired terms of trustees currently serving and must be held between 75 and 90 days after the petition is received.
In addition to the regular election under Section 50730, upon receipt of a recommendation of the board of trustees or upon receipt of a verified petition of 20 percent of the landowners who, together, own at least 20 percent in value of the lands in the district, as determined from the last tax roll of the county, the board of supervisors shall appoint a time, not less than 75 days or more than 90 days after receipt of the petition, and place for holding a general district election for the unexpired term of the trustees then serving.
board of trustees verified petition landowners
Section § 50731.5
This law outlines the process for nominating trustees. Candidates are nominated by submitting a petition to the secretary between 75 and 54 days before an election. The petition must be signed by either five voters if there are 15 or more in the district, or by at least one voter if there are fewer than 15 voters in the district.
The secretary must publish a notice about the petition submission process at least seven days before the last date to submit them. If the election is to fill an unexpired term, this must be stated. The notice should be published in a local newspaper or one with general circulation if no local one is available.
(a)CA Water Code § 50731.5(a) Nominations for the office of trustee shall be made by petition filed with the secretary not earlier than 75 days or later than 5 p.m. on the 54th day before the election.
(b)CA Water Code § 50731.5(b) The petition shall be signed as follows:
(1)CA Water Code § 50731.5(b)(1) If there are 15 or more qualified voters in the district, by five or more qualified voters.
(2)CA Water Code § 50731.5(b)(2) If there are less than 15
qualified voters in the district, by one or more qualified voters.
(c)CA Water Code § 50731.5(c) Notice that the petitions may be received shall be published once by the secretary at least seven days prior to the final date for receiving petitions. If the election includes the balance of an unexpired term, the notice shall state that the petition must indicate whether the nomination is for that unexpired term. The notice shall be published in a newspaper in each county in which any of the district lands are situated, if any newspaper is published therein, and if not, in a newspaper having general circulation therein.
trustee nominations petition submission election procedure
Section § 50731.6
This section outlines the format for a nomination petition for a candidate running for the office of Trustee in a Reclamation District. Voters sign the petition to nominate a candidate. The nomination must include the name of the candidate and specify the term length. The circulator of the petition must fill out an affidavit confirming they personally witnessed the signatures. Likewise, the nominee must complete an affidavit affirming their willingness to be a candidate, their desired ballot name, and any occupational designation. Both affidavits must be notarized to be valid.
The nomination petition shall be in substantially the following form:
Official Filing Petition
Nomination of Candidate
Nomination of Candidate
We, the undersigned voters of Reclamation District No. ____, hereby nominate ___________ (name of
candidate) for the office of Trustee of the District for a term of ____ years.
Name
Date
Residence
Affidavit of Circulator
State of California ⎫
County of ⎭
ss.
__________ (name of circulator), being duly sworn, deposes and says:
That __________ (he/she) circulated the foregoing petition and saw all the signatures appended thereto and knows that they are the signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be.
That __________ (he/she) circulated the foregoing petition and saw all the signatures appended thereto and knows that they are the signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be.
_____
_____
(Signature of circulator)
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this ___ day of ________, 20__.
Notary Public in and for the County
of ____, State of California.
My commission expires ____.
_____
Affidavit of Nominee
State of California ⎫
County of ⎭
ss.
_________ (name of nominee), being duly sworn, says that he/she is the above-named nominee for the office of _____ (office), that he/she will accept the office in the event of his/her election, that he/she desires his/her name to appear on the ballot as follows:
(Print name above)
that he/she desires the following occupational designation, containing not more than three words, to appear on the ballot under his/her name, and that this designation is correct.
(Print desired designation, if any, above)
_____
_____
(Signature of nominee)
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this ___ day of ________, 20__.
Notary Public in and for the County
of ____, State of California.
My commission expires ____.
_____
nomination petition trustee election reclamation district
Section § 50732
This law requires that a notice about an upcoming election be published in the same newspaper that published the nomination petition notices. The election notice needs to appear in the newspaper once a week for four weeks, and this needs to start at least one month before the election date.
Notice of the election shall be published by the secretary once a week for four weeks beginning not less than one month prior to the date of election in the same newspaper or newspapers used for publication of the notice calling for nomination petitions.
election notice newspaper publication nomination petition
