Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000.

Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (act) , provides the sole and exclusive authority and procedure for the initiation, conduct, and completion of changes of organization and reorganization for cities and districts. For purposes of the act, existing law defines an independent district or independent special district to include any special district having a legislative body all of whose members are elected by registered voters and landowners within the district, or whose members are appointed to fixed terms. This bill would specify that the definition excludes any independent special district having a legislative body consisting, in whole or in part, of ex officio members who are officers of a county or another local agency or who are appointees of those officers other than those who are appointed to fixed terms. The act specifies the procedures for selecting members for a local agency formation commission in each county. Existing law requires the independent special district selection committee to appoint 2 regular members and one alternate member to the commission. Existing law requires the appointed members to be elected or special district officers residing within the county. This bill would require the appointed members to be elected or appointed members of the legislative body of an independent special district residing within the county. The act prohibits a local agency formation commission from reviewing a reorganization that includes an annexation to any city in Santa Clara County of unincorporated territory that is within the urban service area of the city if the reorganization is initiated by resolution of the legislative body of the city and instead appoints the city council of that city as the conducting authority for the reorganization. This bill would specify that these provisions apply to an annexation or a reorganization proposal. The act requires petitions for a merger of a district which overlaps a city, or for the establishment of the district as a subsidiary district of the city, to be signed in a specified manner for a resident voter district. Existing law requires petitions for the dissolution of a district to be signed in a specified manner for a resident voter district. This bill would instead prescribe the manner of signatures for a registered voter district. The act requires the executive officer of the commission to give specified notice of the protest hearing to be held for a district formation. Existing law requires the notice to contain specified information including a statement of the time, date, and place of the protest hearing on the proposed change of organization or reorganization and requires the protest hearing to be held on a specific date if the uninhabited territory is proposed to be annexed to a city with specified residents and population. This bill would delete the requirement that a protest hearing be held on a specific date for such an uninhabited territory and would otherwise make that uninhabited territory subject to the existing non-specific date requirement. This bill would also make other technical and conforming changes and correct erroneous references.