Chapter 4. Method Of Elections For The Irvine Ranch Water District of California Water Code >> Division 13. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 4.

The provisions of this chapter shall apply only to the manner in which elections are conducted in the Irvine Ranch Water District. For purposes of this chapter, "district" means the Irvine Ranch Water District. In all other respects, the district shall continue to be operated, managed, and governed as a California water district in accordance with this division and other applicable provisions of law.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or the bylaws of the district, all elections held after the effective date of this section within the district shall be conducted as resident voter elections in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require resident voter approval of bonds where voter approval is not required under the statutory or constitutional provisions in effect prior to the effective date of this section.

Qualified voters of the district shall be residents of and registered voters in the district.

All directors elected after the effective date of this chapter shall be residents of and registered voters in the district and shall be registered voters at the time of their election and during their term of office.

District elections shall be conducted in conformance with the Uniform District Election Law (Part 4 (commencing with Section 10500) of Division 10 of the Elections Code) and the laws generally applicable to districts created and operated pursuant to this division, except as follows:
  (a) As permitted by Section 1304 of the Elections Code, the general district election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year.
  (b) As permitted by Section 10555 of the Elections Code, the general district election shall be consolidated with the statewide election in accordance with Part 3 (commencing with Section 10400) of Division 10 of the Elections Code.
  (c) Those directors whose terms of office expire on the last Friday in June of 1984 shall, instead, continue in their offices until the last Friday in November of 1984, and those directors whose terms of office expire on the last Friday in June of 1986 shall, instead, continue in their offices until the last Friday in November of 1986.

If a vacancy in the office of the director is filled by appointment, and the vacancy occurred on a date so that, under Section 1780 of the Government Code, there is required to be an election at the next general district election to fill the balance of the unexpired term, then, notwithstanding subdivision (d) of Section 1780 of the Government Code, the person elected shall serve for a full four-year term, if the terms of office of the directors would continue to be staggered at each subsequent general district election.

Directors of the district shall be elected on an at-large basis. Newly elected directors shall take office on the last Friday in November next following the general district election. The term of office of each director shall be four years and each director shall hold office until his successor qualifies and takes office. The terms of office of directors shall continue to be staggered to keep as nearly equal as practicable the number of directors to be elected at each subsequent general district election.

In order to facilitate an orderly transition to resident voter elections in June of even-numbered years and to preserve staggered terms, the terms of office of directors serving on the effective date of this section shall be modified in accordance with this section. At the 1980 general district election, two directors shall be elected to fill the positions of the two directors who were elected by landowner vote. At the 1982 general district election three directors shall be elected to fill the positions of the other three directors. In order to coincide with these election dates the terms of office of directors shall be extended or shortened as follows:
  (a) The terms of office of the two directors elected by landowner vote shall expire in June of 1980.
  (b) The terms of the two directors elected in November of 1979 shall expire in June of 1982.
  (c) The term of the director elected by resident vote in November of 1977 shall be extended to June of 1982. This extension is deemed to be a portion of the original term. Each director shall hold office until a successor qualifies.

After the 1980 general district election and the seating of the newly elected directors, the board of directors of the district may increase the number of directors pursuant to Section 34708. If the number of directors is increased, the term of office of new directors shall be determined so as to be consistent with the provisions of this chapter and the requirements of Section 34708. Expansion of the board of directors shall not affect the manner of electing directors at large as provided in this chapter.

The provisions of this chapter 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 or while the district was following the alternative voting procedures previously set forth in this chapter.

Nothing in this chapter shall affect any acts or proceedings heretofore taken for the authorization, issuance, or sale of any bonds of the district, in any manner provided by law, prior to the effective date of this chapter. Nor shall anything in this chapter affect the ability of the district to sell and issue any bond heretofore authorized. This section shall be applicable to any bonds of an improvement district thereof. For the purposes of this chapter, "bonds" shall include notes and other evidences of indebtedness of the district or any improvement district thereof.