Section 9203 Of Article 1. Initiative From California Elections Code >> Division 9. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.
9203
. (a) Any person who is interested in any proposed measure
shall file a copy of the proposed measure with the elections official
with a request that a ballot title and summary be prepared. This
request shall be accompanied by the address of the person proposing
the measure. The elections official shall immediately transmit a copy
of the proposed measure to the city attorney. Within 15 days after
the proposed measure is filed, the city attorney shall provide and
return to the city elections official a ballot title for and summary
of the proposed measure. The ballot title may differ from any other
title of the proposed measure and shall express in 500 words or less
the purpose of the proposed measure. In providing the ballot title,
the city attorney shall give a true and impartial statement of the
purpose of the proposed measure in such language that the ballot
title shall neither be an argument, nor be likely to create
prejudice, for or against the proposed measure.
(b) The elections official shall furnish a copy of the ballot
title and summary to the person filing the proposed measure. The
person proposing the measure shall, prior to its circulation, place
upon each section of the petition, above the text of the proposed
measure and across the top of each page of the petition on which
signatures are to appear, in roman boldface type not smaller than 12
point, the ballot title prepared by the city attorney. The text of
the measure shall be printed in type not smaller than 8 point.
The heading of the proposed measure shall be in substantially the
following form:
Initiative Measure to be Submitted Directly to the
Voters
The city attorney has prepared the following title and summary of
the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:
(Here set forth the title and summary prepared by the city
attorney. This title and summary must also be printed across the top
of each page of the petition whereon signatures are to appear.)