Redwood City Municipal Code Art. VIII Petitions

It is the purpose of this Article to provide implementation to Section 6 of the Charter of the City relating to the circulation or depositing of petitions for initiative, referendum or recall.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

Petitions for exercising the initiative, referendum or recall may be circulated throughout the City by the circulators for the proponents or may be deposited for signatures in at least three (3) public places in the City.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

The procedure for the establishment of petition depositories shall be as follows:

A. Any person wishing to deposit for signature any initiative, referendum or recall petition may apply to the City Council to have three (3) or more public places designated as depositories.

B. The application shall be in writing, and shall be filed with the City Clerk. The designation of at least three (3) depositories shall be made by the Council at its next regular meeting, provided that the Council may continue the matter to the next succeeding meeting if the application is filed less than forty-eight (48) hours before a regular Council meeting.

C. It shall be the obligation of the proponents to furnish a sufficient number of petitions and affidavits and chairs, tables and other necessary equipment at each depository. It shall also be the obligation of the proponents to furnish a person at each depository who has the qualifications of a circulator as established by the general law or, in the alternative, the City shall furnish such person upon payment, in advance, of the salary of such person as determined by the City Clerk. Depositories staffed by the City shall be open during the hours fixed by Section 2.9 of this Code.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

Notice of the deposit of a petition shall be given by and at the expense of the proponents in accordance with Section 6 of the Charter in the same newspaper utilized by the City for the publication of ordinances and in such additional newspapers as may be deemed advisable by the proponents.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

The designation of depositories pursuant to the foregoing procedure shall in no manner constitute an endorsement or approval of any measure or proposal by the Council nor shall such designation indicate approval of the form of any petition.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to recall proceedings under Section 47c of the Charter and to referendum proceedings under Section 48a of the Charter as well as for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of Section 6 of the Charter.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

Leases approved by the Board of Port Commissioners shall be subject to referendum from the date of the action of the Board approving the lease for a period of thirty (30) days or until the lease is awarded, whichever is later in time.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)

Except as provided otherwise by the Charter of the City and this Code, the general laws of the State applicable to municipalities shall be applicable to the circulating of petitions for the initiative, referendum and recall and to the examination of such petitions and all proceedings thereunder.

Any initiative, referendum or recall proceedings relating to a district formed by the City shall, except as provided otherwise by any ordinance of the City, be conducted pursuant to the general laws of the State applicable to districts.

(Ord. No. 1255, § 1)