Downey Municipal Code Art. XIII Elections

General municipal elections for the election of officers of the City and for such other purposes as the City Council may prescribe shall be held in the City on the same date and at the same time as the Statewide General Election. The first such General Municipal Election shall be held in 1996.

All other municipal elections that may be held by authority of this Charter, or of any law, shall be known as special municipal elections.

Except as otherwise provided in this Charter and except as may otherwise be provided by ordinance enacted by the Council and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter, all municipal elections shall be held, canvassed, conducted and otherwise governed by State law.

There are hereby reserved to the voters of the City the powers of the initiative and referendum and of the recall of municipal elective officers. Except as may otherwise be provided by ordinance enacted by the Council, and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter, State law shall apply.

The vacancy created by a recall election shall be filled after such recall election, with any qualified person from the district, as set forth in Section 501. The recalled municipal officer shall not be eligible to run for such vacancy.

The voters signing any petition for the nomination of any person to the office of City Council or for the recall of any person from such office shall be domiciled in the district from which such person is to be nominated or has been elected. Only the names of voters who are domiciled in such district shall be counted in determining the sufficiency of any such petition.

The City is hereby divided into five districts, the names and respective boundaries of which shall be as follows:

Council district one: All of the territory within the following described boundaries: beginning at the intersection of the centerlines of Brookshire Avenue and Cleta Street, easterly along the centerline of Cleta Street to the centerline of Lakewood Boulevard, northerly to the centerline of Hall Road, easterly to the centerline of Bellflower Blvd., southerly to the centerline of Steward & Gray Rd., easterly to the centerline of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, easterly to the eastern City boundary, southerly along said boundary to the southern City boundary, westerly along said boundary through its various courses including along Lakewood Blvd., Century Ave., and Grant Ave. to the centerline of Gardendale Street, easterly to the centerline of Brookshire Avenue, northerly to the centerline of Cleta Street, the point of beginning.

Council district two: All of the territory within the following boundaries: beginning at the intersection of the center lines of Old River School Road and the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, easterly along the centerline of the Southern Pacific Railroad to the centerline of Downey Avenue, southerly to the centerline of Cleta Street, easterly to the centerline of Brookshire Avenue, southerly to the centerline of Gardendale Street, westerly to the western City boundary, northerly along said boundary through its various courses to the centerline of Stewart & Gray Road, easterly to the centerline of Old River School Road, northerly to the centerline of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, the point of beginning.

Council district three: All of the territory within the following described boundaries: beginning at the intersection of the northern City boundary and the western City boundary, easterly along the northern City boundary and the western City boundary, easterly along the northern City boundary to the centerline of Stoakes Avenue, southerly to the southerly right-of-way line of the Interstate 5 Freeway, westerly to the centerline of Orizaba Avenue, southerly to the centerline of Gallatin Road, easterly to the centerline of Downey Avenue, southerly to the centerline of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, westerly to the centerline of Old River School Road, southerly to the centerline of Stewart & Gray Rd., westerly to the western City boundary, northerly along said City boundary through its various courses to the northern City boundary, the point of beginning.

Council district four: All of the territory within the following described boundaries: beginning at the intersection of the northern City boundary and the centerline of Stoakes Avenue, easterly along said boundary to the eastern City boundary, southerly along said boundary through its various courses to the centerline of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, westerly to the centerline of Stewart & Gray Rd., westerly to the centerline of Bellflower Blvd., northerly to the centerline of Hall Road, westerly to the centerline of Lakewood Blvd., southerly to the centerline of Cleta Street, westerly to the centerline of Downey Avenue, northerly to the centerline of Gallatin Road, westerly to the centerline of Orizaba Avenue, northerly to the southerly right-of-way line of the Interstate 5 Freeway, easterly to the centerline of Stoakes Avenue, northerly to the northern City boundary, the point of beginning.

Council district five: All that territory lying within the entire geographical area of the City.

(Amended by Ordinance No. 1114 adopted January 22, 2002)

At least once each ten years, the City Council shall within 60 days after the deadline for presentation of the decennial census results to the President of the United States, appoint a committee to study and make recommendation concerning alteration of the Council district boundaries. Upon receipt of any such committee report, and at any other time deemed necessary or desirable in order that the district boundaries be fair and logical, the City Council may by ordinance change and redefine the boundaries of any or all of the districts herein established. The boundaries so defined shall be established in such manner that the districts shall, as nearly as practicable, constitute natural areas of contiguous and compact territory and provide fair representation on the City Council and otherwise comply with applicable law. Any territory hereafter annexed to or consolidated with the City shall, at the time of such annexation or consolidation, be added by ordinance of the City Council to an adjacent district or districts.

Any candidate for an elective City office may prepare a statement of qualifications in accordance with the restrictions set forth by State law, and subject to the following additional restriction: A statement of qualifications shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate's own personal background and qualifications and shall not in any way make reference to other candidates or to other candidate's qualifications, character or activities. The City Clerk shall not cause to be printed or circulated any candidate's statement of qualifications which the City Clerk determines is not so limited or which includes any such references.