Article 3. Alternative Method Of Conducting Elections of California Water Code >> Division 13. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 3.

The voting procedure within a district shall be changed from that of a landowner voting district to that of a resident voting district at such time as the board of directors shall determine by a resolution adopted in conformity with the provisions of this article.

Between January 1 and March 30 of each year, the secretary of the district shall inspect the assessable area within the district. At such time as at least 50 percent of the assessable area within the district is devoted to and developed for residential, industrial, or nonagricultural commercial use, or any combination thereof, such fact shall be certified to the board of directors by the secretary of the district. Any time after such certification the registered voters residing within the district may petition for a change in the voting procedure from a landowner voting district to a resident voting district.

The petition shall be signed by not less than 25 percent of the registered voters who reside within the district, but shall contain a minimum of 25 signatures.

The petition shall be substantially in the following form:

The secretary of the ____ Water District having heretofore certified to the board of directors of the district that at least 50 percent of the assessable area within the district is devoted to and developed for residential, industrial, or nonagricultural commercial use, or any combination thereof, the undersigned voters who reside within the boundaries of ____ Water District hereby petition the board of directors thereof to hold all elections on the basis of resident voting district, rather than a landowner voting district.

Date Signature Address ____________ ___________________ _________________ ____________ ___________________ _________________ ____________ ___________________ _________________

Duplicate copies of the petition form shall constitute one petition when filed. If the district is in more than one county, signatures shall be obtained on separate copies of the petition in each county so that such petitions shall contain the signature only of residents of the county in which the copy was circulated.

Each petition shall be signed and dated by registered voters who reside within the district and shall show their residence address.

Each page of the petition which contains the signature of one or more registered voters shall show thereon the affidavit of the circulator in the following form: The undersigned circulator of the above petition hereby declares under penalty of perjury that the circulator of this petition was over the age of 18 years, and that the signatures hereon are the signatures of the persons named and were signed in the presence of the circulator.

All signatures on the petition shall be obtained within the six-month period immediately preceding the filing thereof.

The petition shall be filed with the county elections official of the principal county at least six months prior to the date of the next general district election.

The signatures to the petition shall be verified as follows:
  (a) If the district is wholly in one county, the county elections official shall examine the signatures and from the records of registration ascertain whether or not the petition is signed by the requisite number of registered voters.
  (b) If the district is situated in more than one county, each county elections official shall examine that portion of the petition bearing signatures obtained in that county and from the records of registration ascertain the number of signatures of registered voters in that portion of the district lying in that county. The county elections official of a county other than the principal county shall prepare a certificate, and file the same with the county elections official of the principal county, showing the number of valid signatures of registered voters in that county who signed the petition, and shall also show the total number of registered voters in that county within the district on the date of filing the petition.
  (c) The county elections official of the principal county shall attach to the petition a certificate showing the total number of valid signatures thereon, and the total number of registered voters within the district as of the date of filing the petition.

If the number of signatures is not sufficient, a supplemental petition, in the form of a duplicate petition, but bearing additional signatures, may be filed with the county elections official of the principal county within 10 days from the date on which the county elections official of the principal county certified the results of the examination. The supplemental petition shall be verified in the same manner as the original petition. If the signatures on the petition are still insufficient, no action shall be taken thereon. The petition shall remain on file as a public record and failure to secure sufficient signatures shall not prejudice the later filing of an entirely new petition.

If the petition contains at least 25 valid signatures and if the total number of valid signatures on the petition constitutes 25 percent or more of the registered voters within the district as of the date of filing the petition, the county elections official of the principal county shall prepare a certificate to that effect, attach the same to the petition, and deliver, by mail or personal delivery, the petition and the certificate to the secretary of the district.

At the next regular meeting following the delivery by the county elections official of the petition and the certificate to the secretary of the district, the board of directors shall adopt a resolution reciting the delivery of the petition and certificate and specifying that all future elections in the district shall be conducted as a resident voting district, rather than a landowner voting district.

The secretary of the district shall file with the county elections official of each county in which any portion of the district is located, a certified copy of the resolution. The secretary shall cause a copy of the resolution to be published once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation used for the publication of district notices.

After adoption of the resolution by the board of directors, all elections within the district for elective offices, bonds, or other purposes shall be conducted under laws relating to resident voting districts and all provisions of this article shall prevail over any contrary provisions in this division relating to landowner voting districts.

All directors thereafter elected shall be residents of the district, and shall be registered voters at the time of their election and during their term of office. Such directors need not be landowners.

(a) After the establishment of a resident voting district, the provisions set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 35025) of this chapter are no longer applicable. The board of directors may at any time establish divisions within the district.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, subdivision (c) applies to districts in which directors are elected by divisions.
  (c) The board of directors shall, by resolution, adjust the boundaries of any divisions pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 22000) of Division 21 of the Elections Code.

At the first election of directors following the adoption of the resolution by the board establishing a resident voting district, the number of directors to be elected shall correspond with the number of directors whose terms expire. The directors whose terms have not expired shall serve their unexpired terms under the qualifications to hold office that existed prior to the adoption of the resolution establishing a resident voting district. In such first election and in all subsequent elections, the form of the ballot and the conduct of the election shall be governed by the Uniform District Election Law for resident voting districts.

The adoption, in accordance with the provisions of this article, of a resolution changing the method of voting shall in no way invalidate any act of the district, its directors, officers, and employees, made or performed while the district was operating as a landowner voting district.

Any bonds of the district, authorized or issued in any manner provided by law, and any proceedings taken by the district in connection therewith, prior to the adoption of the resolution changing the method of voting, shall not be affected by such resolution, and the bonds shall continue to be legally authorized or issued bonds. Bonds of the district to which this section is applicable shall include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
  (a) Bonds authorized pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 35150) of this part.
  (b) Bonds authorized on behalf of an improvement district pursuant to Chapter 4.9 (commencing with Section 36410) of Part 6 of this division.
  (c) Bonds authorized pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 36250) of Part 6 of this division.
  (d) Bonds, including additional bonds, authorized pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 35950) of Part 6 of this division.

After establishment of a resident voting district, the provisions of Sections 35305 and 35306 shall no longer be applicable. The board of directors may at any time alter, repeal, or amend the bylaws by a majority vote. Any alteration, repeal, or amendment to the bylaws shall be recorded with the county recorder of each affected county.