Bill Text: CA SB162 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Elections.
Sponsorship: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2025-09-17 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 115, Statutes of 2025. [SB162 Detail]
Download: California-2025-SB162-Chaptered.html
Senate Bill
No. 162
CHAPTER 115
An act to amend Section 4 of Chapter 97 of the Statutes of 2025, relating to elections, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 17, 2025.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 17, 2025.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 162, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review.
Elections.
A special election will be held throughout the state on November 4, 2025. Existing law authorizes consolidation of a local election for the submission of any question, proposition, or office to be filled, which was called by a district, city, or other political subdivision on or before August 8, 2025, and scheduled to be held on November 4, 2025, with the statewide special election. Existing law prohibits a county elections official from certifying the results of the statewide special election before the 28th calendar day following the election.
This bill would also prohibit a county elections official from certifying the results of a local election called by a district, city, or other political subdivision on or before August 8, 2025, and scheduled to be held
on November 4, 2025, before the 28th calendar day following the election.
Existing law requires the Secretary of State to report on the final costs of the statewide special election to the Director of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee no later than April 1, 2026.
This bill would appropriate $100,000 from the General Fund to the Secretary of State for purposes of that report.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: YES Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 4 of Chapter 97 of the Statutes of 2025 is amended to read:SEC. 4.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure counties have sufficient funding to effectuate the November 4, 2025, statewide special election. An amount is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for the actual and reasonably necessary costs, as determined by the Director of Finance, for the counties to conduct the November 4, 2025, statewide special election.(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the Controller shall allocate these funds to counties according to a schedule provided by the Director of Finance. Any excess funds received by the county shall be used to offset state costs for the next statewide election conducted by the county. Each county shall report
its final total cost to administer the statewide special election to the Secretary of State in a manner and by a date determined by the Secretary of State.
(c) An amount is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Secretary of State for the actual and reasonably necessary costs, as determined by the Director of Finance, for the Secretary of State to administer the November 4, 2025, statewide special election.
(d) No later than April 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall report on the final costs of the statewide special election to the Director of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The report shall include all of the following:
(1) The total cost of the statewide special election by county.
(2) The costs broken out by category
for each county.
(3) Any funds remaining, by county, that can be used to offset state costs for the next election conducted by the county.
SEC. 2.
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 10262, 10551, 15301, and 15372 of the Elections Code, for any regular or special local election for the submission of any question, proposition, or office to be filled, which was called by a district, city, or other political subdivision on or before August 8, 2025, and scheduled to be held on November 4, 2025, the elections official shall not certify the results of the election prior to the 28th calendar day following the election. Subdivisions (f), (g), and (h) of Section 3 of Chapter 97 of the Statutes of 2025 apply to that election in the same manner as those provisions apply to the November 4, 2025, statewide special election.(b) To the extent that the requirement in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 3 of Chapter 97 of the Statutes of 2025 is inconsistent with duties of the elections official under Sections 3001, 3105, or 13303 of the Elections Code, for an election scheduled after November 4, 2025, and before December 31, 2025, the County of Santa Clara may by resolution adopt other reasonable timeframes for the elections official to fulfill these duties, provided that the timeframes are consistent with the requirements in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 3 of Chapter 97 of the Statutes of 2025.
