Article 2. Initiation Of Proceedings of California Government Code >> Division 1. >> Title 3. >> Chapter 3.5. >> Article 2.

Proceedings for the consolidation of two or more contiguous counties may be initiated by petition, or by resolution of the board of supervisors of each affected county filed with the board of supervisors of the principal county.

A petition initiating proceedings shall be signed by qualified electors of each affected county equaling in number not less than 25 percent of the number of electors of each county registered within the county on the date of the last preceding gubernatorial election. Each elector, after signing a petition, shall add the name of the county in which the elector resides, the elector's place of residence, giving a street and number or a designation sufficient to enable the place of residence to be readily ascertained, and the date the elector signed the petition.

A petition may consist of a single instrument or several counterparts.

A petition may designate not more than three persons as chief petitioners setting forth their names and mailing addresses.

No petition shall be accepted for filing pursuant to this article unless the signatures therein shall have been secured within six months of the date on which the first signature on the petition was affixed and such petition is submitted for filing as provided in Section 23515 within 60 days after the last signature is affixed. If the time between the date on which the last signature is affixed and the date on which the petition is submitted for filing exceeds 60 days, or, if any signature on the petition has been secured more than six months from the date on which the first signature was affixed, the petition shall be considered insufficient and shall be filed by the clerk as a public record without prejudice to the filing of a new petition.

All petitions shall be filed with the clerk of the principal county. All counterparts of a petition shall be filed at the same time.

Within 30 days after the date of filing of a petition, the clerk of the principal county shall examine the petition and determine whether it is signed by the requisite number of electors. When the clerk has completed the examination, the clerk shall certify the results of the examination.

If the clerk certifies a petition to be insufficient the clerk shall give mailed notice thereof to each of the chief petitioners, if any, and file the petition as a public record without prejudice to the filing of a new petition.

If the clerk certifies a petition to be sufficient, the clerk shall immediately transmit a copy of the certification to the board of supervisors of each county and to each of the chief petitioners, if any.

In certifying the sufficiency of a petition, the clerk shall compare the name of each person signing the petition with the registration records of the county in which the person signing the petition resides.

Upon receipt of the certification of a petition for county consolidation or the adoption of resolutions pursuant to Section 23510, the board of the principal county shall forthwith transmit to the Governor a copy of the certification or a certified copy of the resolutions.