Political Reform Act of 1974: local government agency notices.

Existing law, whenever an ordinance is required to be submitted to the voters of a county, city, or district at an election, requires the elections official to cause the ordinance to be printed and requires a copy of the ordinance to be made available to any voter upon request. This bill would require every local government agency that maintains an Internet Web site to prominently post on its Internet Web site, as specified, a notice of any upcoming election in which voters will vote on a tax measure or proposed bond issuance of the agency. The bill would also require every local government agency that publishes an electronic newsletter to include the notice in the electronic newsletter. By imposing new duties on local government agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. A violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.