Article 9. Public Leasebacks of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 5. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 9.

As used in this article:
  (a) "Local agency" means any county, city, city and county, public district, public entity or authority or other public or municipal corporation other than the federal government or any federal department or agency, this state, an adjoining state, any state department or agency or any school district in the state.
  (b) "Public leaseback" means any lease, sublease, contract or other agreement involving land or buildings, structures, or other facilities which are permanently attached to land, where the agreement is made directly or indirectly between the local agency and a public leaseback corporation, if the proceeds of the agreement provided by the local agency will be used in whole or in part by such public leaseback corporation for payment of principal of or interest on its bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness.
  (c) "Public leaseback corporation" means any public or private corporation, or nonprofit corporation, or any public retirement system which has the authority to assist a local agency and which acquires or constructs or finances or arranges for the acquisition or construction of land, buildings, structures, or other facilities which are permanently attached to land for public leaseback.

No public leaseback of any local agency shall be entered into until the act of entering into a formal agreement with the public leaseback corporation shall have been approved by such local agency by ordinance which shall state that it is subject to the provisions for referendum applicable to such local agency. This section shall apply only to public leaseback agreements the term of which will exceed five years or more.

Any ordinance subject to referendum under Section 54241 shall be published after adoption as required by law for ordinances of the local agency generally, or, if there is no publication requirement applicable to the ordinance, then once pursuant to the provisions of Sections 6040 through 6044 within 15 days after the adoption of the ordinance. If a local agency does not otherwise have statutory power to enact an ordinance pursuant to Section 54241, the governing body of the local agency is authorized to introduce and enact the ordinance at any regular or adjourned regular meeting by the approving votes of a majority of all of its members. If ordinances of a local agency are not otherwise subject to referendum, then (1) the governing body of the local agency may refer any ordinance enacted pursuant to Section 54241 to the electors of the local agency in the same manner as the board of supervisors of a county may refer county questions pursuant to Section 9140 of the Elections Code, and (2) the electors of the local agency shall have the right to petition for referendum on the ordinance in the same manner and subject to the same rules as are set forth in Sections 9141 to 9145, inclusive, of the Elections Code, except that all computations referred to in those sections and officers of the county mentioned in those sections shall be construed to refer to comparable computations and officers of the local agency. If the governing board of a local agency is an elected board the electors of the local agency for the purposes of this section shall be the electors of the territory entitled to vote at elections for members of the governing board. If a local agency does not have an elected governing board, the electors residing within the boundaries of the local agency who would be qualified to vote for candidates for Governor at any gubernatorial election shall be the electors of the local agency for the purposes of this section.

In the event an ordinance enacted pursuant to Section 54241 authorizing a local agency to enter into a public leaseback is subjected to a successful referendum election or is repealed or rescinded by a local agency, no ordinance authorizing the local agency to enter into a public leaseback for the same or substantially the same purpose shall be passed by that local agency for a period of one year from the date of such referendum, repeal or rescission.

Section 54241 shall not apply to any public leaseback which is executed prior to the effective date of Section 54241.

If any one or more local or public agencies shall, prior to the effective date of Section 54241, have taken formal action to implement any one or more projects to be acquired or constructed pursuant to a public leaseback, Section 54241 shall not apply to the subsequent execution by such local or public agency of such public leaseback relating to any such project. Formal action to implement any one or more projects shall include any of the following actions:
  (a) The incurring of liability of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more for a substantial portion of an architectural or engineering contract or other contract relating to a project;
  (b) The acquisition of land or improvements for the project;
  (c) The making of a contribution totaling five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more toward the leaseback project.