Bill Text: CA AB1546 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1546 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: City of Alhambra: charter amendment: Alhambra Unified School District: California Voting Rights Act.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-08-18 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 145, Statutes of 2021. [AB1546 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB1546-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 19, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1546

Introduced by Assembly Member Chau

February 19, 2021

An act relating to ~~elections.~~ elections, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1546, as amended, Chau. City of Alhambra: charter amendment: Alhambra Unified School District: California Voting Rights Act.

Existing law authorizes the governing body of a city or city and county to propose an amendment to the charter of the city or city and county, and to submit the proposal to the voters at the next established statewide general election, provided there are at least 88 days before the election. The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) prohibits the use of an at-large election in a political subdivision, as defined, if it would impair the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or otherwise influence the outcome of an election.

This bill would authorize the governing body of the City of Alhambra to submit a proposal to amend the charter of the City of Alhambra to remove all references to the Alhambra Unified School District from the charter at a special election held on specified election dates before the next established statewide general election.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Alhambra because of certain unique circumstances and the need to enable the Alhambra Unified School District to complete its transition to an election system that complies with the CVRA before January 1, 2022.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: ~~MAJORITY~~2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Notwithstanding Section 34458 of the Government Code or any other law, the governing body of the City of Alhambra, on its own motion, may submit a proposal to amend the charter of the City of Alhambra to remove all references to the Alhambra Unified School District from the charter at a special election held on any of the election dates specified in Section 1000 of the Elections Code before the next established statewide general election.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances facing the City of Alhambra and the Alhambra Unified School District regarding the November 3, 2020, election on Measure G and the need to enable the Alhambra Unified School District to complete its transition to an election system that complies with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 14025) of Division 14 of the Elections Code) before January 1, 2022.

SEC. 3.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
In order to enable the City of Alhambra to conduct an election to remove all references to the Alhambra Unified School District from the city’s charter and to permit the Alhambra Unified School District to complete its transition to an election system that complies with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 14025) of Division 14 of the Elections Code) before the next statewide general election, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.