Santa Cruz Municipal Code Art. VII Elections

701 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

General municipal elections for the filling of elective offices and for such other purposes as the Council may prescribe, shall be held in the City of Santa Cruz on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year. Members of the City Council shall serve for a term of four (4) years commencing on the date of the second regularly scheduled Council meeting after the general municipal election. Any ties in voting shall be settled by the casting of lots.

(Amended 3-6-79; 11-4-86; 11-6-90)

702 SPECIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

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

704 CANVASS OF RETURNS.

At its second regularly scheduled evening meeting after any municipal election, the Council of this City, at its usual meeting place, shall convene to duly canvass the returns of the municipal election, declare the results thereof, and install the newly elected officers.

(Amended 11-6-90)

705 PROCEDURE FOR HOLDING ELECTIONS.

Unless otherwise provided by ordinance hereafter enacted, all elections shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Elections Code of the State of California, as the same now exist or may hereafter be amended, for the holding of elections in general law cities insofar as the same are not in conflict with this Charter.

706 INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL.

Unless otherwise provided by ordinance hereafter enacted, the provisions of the Elections Code of the State of California as the same now exist or may hereafter be amended, governing the initiative, referendum and the recall of municipal officers, shall apply in the City insofar as such provisions of the Elections Code are not in conflict with this Charter.

707 MAIL BALLOT ELECTIONS.

Any local, special, or consolidated election may be conducted wholly by mail provided that the City Council adopts a resolution authorizing the use of mailed ballots for the election; the election does not occur on the same date as a statewide direct primary election or statewide general election, and that it be conducted in accordance with the mail ballot election procedures set forth in the Elections Code of the State of California.

(Added 11-2-2004 [Measure L])

708 DISTRICTS.

The City shall be divided into six districts, the names and respective boundaries of which shall be as established by ordinance.

Following the national census and each tenth year thereafter the City Council may appoint a committee to study and report to the City Council on the advisability of redistricting the City. 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/or redefine the boundaries of any or all of the six 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. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 602, no redistricting shall disqualify any Councilmember from serving the remainder of his or her term, if elected, or until the next general municipal election, if appointed. 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. (Added 6/7/2022 [Ord. 2022-12 § 2])

709 TERRITORY NOT SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED.

Any territory constituting a part of the City and not specifically included in any district shall be deemed included in the district with which it has the longest common boundary line. If there is no common boundary line with any district, then such territory shall be deemed included in the nearest district to it. (Added 6/7/2022 [Ord. 2022-12 § 2])

710 VOTERS SIGNING NOMINATION PETITIONS.

The voters signing any petition for the nomination of any person to the office of Councilmember shall be residents and registered voters of the district from which such person is to be nominated. The voters signing any petition for the nomination of any person to the office of Mayor shall be residents and registered voters of the City. (Added 6/7/2022 [Ord. 2022-12 § 2])

711 TWO ROUND ELECTION SYSTEM.

(a) The Mayor and the by-district Councilmembers shall be elected using a Two Round Election System, also known as runoff voting. At the first round of elections, any candidate receiving a majority of the vote cast (i.e., 50% + 1) for all candidates for that office shall be declared elected.

(b) If, after the first round of elections, there is any office to which no person was elected, then the two candidates for such office receiving the highest number of votes for such office shall be the candidates, and the only candidates, for such office whose names shall be printed upon ballots to be issued at the second or General Municipal Election; provided that, in any event, all persons receiving a number of votes equal to the highest or second highest number of votes received by any candidate shall also be candidates at such second election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast for all candidates for that office at the second or General Municipal Election shall be declared elected.

(c) For purposes of the election of a Mayor and Councilmembers in the year 2022, for timing reasons, only one round of elections will be held (i.e., the General Municipal Election on November 8, 2022), and the winner of said election shall be the candidate who receives the most votes from eligible voters in that election.

(d) Whenever practical, the first round of elections shall occur on the date of and be consolidated with the Statewide Primary Election.

(e) The Council may, by ordinance, establish administrative rules and procedures for the City’s Two Round Election System that are not inconsistent with this Section. (Added 6/7/2022 [Ord. 2022-12 § 2])