Article 2.5. Additional Directors of California Public Utilities Code >> Division 6. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 2.5.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, in any district formed prior to January 1, 1974, and containing a population of 1,000,000 or more on that date, the number of directors on the district board shall be increased from five to seven as provided in this article.
  (b) In any district to which subdivision (a) is applicable and in any district which has owned and operated an electric distribution system for at least eight years and which has a population of 250,000, or more, candidates for the office of director shall be elected by the voters of the ward each represents and shall not be voted upon at large. Nomination papers may be circulated only within the ward from which the candidate is to be elected, and shall be signed either by 1 percent of the voters within the ward or by 10 voters, whichever is the lesser number, but in no event by more than 20 voters within the ward. District circulators shall be residents of the ward in which they seek signatures and may obtain signatures only from registered voters residing within that ward.

In any district in which the number of directors is required to be increased from five to seven as provided in Section 11850, the board of directors in office on January 1, 1974, shall, by resolution or ordinance adopted within 90 days after such date, divide the territory of the district into seven wards, and fix the boundaries thereof. The boundaries shall be fixed such that the wards are as equal in number of registered voters as may be.

The two additional directors provided for by this article shall be nominated and elected in the manner and at the election called and conducted within the district for the election of district directors pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 11821) of this chapter and held at the same time as the 1974 statewide general election.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if, in a district subject to this article, by 5 p.m. on the 83rd day prior to the day fixed for the general election, no one or only one person has filed a declaration of candidacy for a particular ward, the county elections official shall submit a certificate of these facts to the district board and inform the board that it may, at a regular or special meeting held on or before the 76th day prior to the election, adopt one of the following courses of action:
  (1) If only one person has filed a declaration of candidacy for a ward, appoint that person to the office.
  (2) If no one has filed a declaration of candidacy for a ward, appoint a person to the office who would be qualified on the date the election would have been held.
  (3) If either no one or only one person has filed a declaration of candidacy for a ward, hold the election.
  (b) If the board makes an appointment pursuant to subdivision (a), the elections official shall not accept for filing any statement of write-in candidacy that is submitted after the appointment is made. The person appointed, if any, shall qualify and take office and serve exactly as if elected at an election for the office.
  (c) If by the 76th day prior to the day fixed for the election, the district board has not appointed the sole candidate to the office pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) or has not adopted a process to appoint, or appointed, a qualified person to the office pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), the election shall be held.
  (d) A district board may adopt a process to appoint a qualified person to the office pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). Upon adoption of this process, the district board shall appoint a qualified person to office no later than the day fixed for the election.
  (e) This section shall apply to all elections held in any district subject to this article that takes place on or after January 1, 2014.

The two additional directors elected pursuant to this article shall take office immediately upon the issuance of the certificates of election by the secretary of the district. Thereafter, directors elected pursuant to the additional seats created by this article shall take office on the first day of January next following their election.

The term of office of the additional directors elected pursuant to this article shall be four years and until their successors are elected and qualified.

Nothing in this article shall effect the term of office of district directors in office on the effective date of this section.