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Supreme Court Clarifies California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)

The California Supreme Court reversed a 2021 Court of Appeal decision which upheld Santa Monica’s at-large voting system under the CVRA. On the one hand, the Supreme Court agreed with the Court of Appeal and Santa Monica that...more

In With The New – Part Three

BB&K’s New Law Guidance for a Well-Informed Start to 2023 - In Part Three of our “In With the New” series, Best Best & Krieger LLP covers important new legislation related to elections, public works and public resources....more

Court Provides Guidance in Applying “Racially Polarized Voting” Analysis to a California Voting Rights Act Challenge

Court of Appeal Decision in Yumori-Kaku et al. v. City of Santa Clara - The City of Santa Clara’s method of electing city council members at-large — in which each council member is elected by all City voters — violated the...more

Redistricting in California

What Public Agencies Must Know Ahead of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Data Release - After each decennial U.S. census, local public agencies with officers elected by or from geographical districts, divisions or wards must...more

Court Confirms FPPC's Authority to Punish Public Agencies That Spend Undisclosed Public Money to Influence Voters at Elections

California Trial Court Rules on Campaign-Related Public Spending - Government agencies must disclose their spending of public money to influence voters in passing or opposing measures, or advocating for election or defeat...more

City of Santa Monica Successfully Defends its At-Large Voting System

California Appellate Court Holds Plaintiffs Must Establish “Dilution” to Successfully Challenge At-Large Voting Systems Under CVRA - Recently, the City of Santa Monica prevailed in a California Appellate Court case that...more

California Voting Rights Act Deadlines Delayed During COVID-19 Pandemic

New Order Also Gives Guidance on Three Upcoming Special Elections - Some guidelines on elections in California during the COVID-19 pandemic were included in a recent Executive Order from Gov. Gavin Newsom. ...more

When Public Opinion Surveys Become Reportable Expenditures Under the Political Reform Act

FPPC Advises When Public Agencies Can Survey Voters and Disseminate Results - Public agencies that wish to conduct public opinion surveys before the next election received additional guidance from a recent Fair Political...more

Public Agency, Officials’ & Employees’ Rules for Electioneering - BB&K Attorneys Jim Priest and Sigrid Asmundson Discuss the Dos...

There’s a fine line public agencies, officials and employees walk between legally disseminating information and illegally advocating for or against a ballot measure or candidate. Originally published in PublicCEO - October...more

General Tax Measure With Related Advisory Measure On Same Ballot Does Not Turn It Into A Special Tax - Issue Related To Number Of...

Last week, the California Court of Appeal clarified what happens to a general tax measure when it is placed on the same ballot as a related advisory measure that asks how revenues from the general tax measure should be spent....more

[WEBINAR] "Walking the Line" - Public Agencies', Officials' and Employees' Roles in Local Elections  [Video]

Candidates and ballot measure elections can drastically change the course of any local agency, but how involved can — and should — a public agency, or its officials and employees, be? In this webinar, Best Best & Krieger...more

Calif.’s “Mass Mailing” Rule Amended by SB 45 - Certain Government-Funded Mailings Prohibited 60 Days Before an Election

Two changes were made to the California Political Reform Act when Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 45 last month. The first is a technical amendment that codifies the FPPC regulations directly into the Act. More importantly,...more

Calif. AG Says SB 415 Applies to Charter Cities and Local School Districts Governed by Charter Cities - California Voter...

Last week, Attorney General Xavier Becerra opined that the California Voter Participation Rights Act, also known as SB 415, applies to charter cities and school districts governed by charter cities. In the second opinion...more

Transient Occupancy (Hotel) Taxes May be Limited by Ruling

California public agencies that impose transient occupancy (hotel) taxes may be limited in the tax they can collect from online transactions. The California Supreme Court on Monday ruled that TOT are limited to the...more

Reducing Cyber Vulnerability and Keeping Online Voter Registration Data Safe

The recent bi-partisan approach taken by hackers in attacking both the Democratic National Committee and high ranking members of the Republican party has brought the issue of cybersecurity and the safety of online voter...more

Local Campaign Finance Reform: What Local Agencies Can – and Cannot – Do (Part 2)

Last week, PublicCEO ran Part 1 of this article that explored the relationship between free speech and campaign finance laws, Super PACs and their influence on campaign finance, and how the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens...more

Local Campaign Finance Reform: Can Local Agencies Wean the Baby From “Mother’s Milk?” (Part 1)

It is an issue that has been with us since the earliest days of politics: The wealthy tend to have disproportionate influence over our political leaders in contrast to the poor and middle class. In the immortal words of the...more

Engaging California Voters

An estimated 8.9 million people voted in California’s June 7 election, representing just under 50 percent of the entire voting-eligible population, according to news reports. The turnout seems quite remarkable compared to...more

The Basics: Municipal Election Laws

Nationwide, states are seeing an uptick in voter participation. California’s election officials are now preparing for a turnout surge as the state’s June 7 presidential primary nears. Over the last three months, more...more

Counties and Special Districts Prohibited from Enacting Substantially Similar Ordinance Subsequent to a Referendum Petition

California Appellate Court Addresses Prohibition in Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance Referendum Opinion - In County of Kern v. T.C.E.F., Inc., et al., a California Court of Appeal determined that, upon receipt of a...more

New California Law May Require Public Agencies to Change Regular Election Dates

Senate Bill 415 applies to cities, counties, school districts and other special districts that have a regular election date that is different from the statewide primary or general election (June and November of even-numbered...more

New California Laws Impacting Public Agencies

This comprehensive round-up includes new legislation that will impact cities, counties, special districts and schools. There were many bills passed by California lawmakers this year that will impact municipalities and...more

What does “One Person, One Vote” Mean?

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in an important case dealing with the long-recognized “one person, one vote” standard — historically, the fundamental principle when drawing election maps. Any dilution of the...more

U.S. Supreme Court Affirms That Content-Based Sign Codes Violate The First Amendment

Now, more than ever, local municipalities should review their municipal sign laws to ensure that signs are not being regulated based on their message. This is in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that an...more

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