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
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 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
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
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
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
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
Part 1: California Laws Impacting Public Agencies for 2020 -
How do the laws passed last year by California lawmakers impact how public agencies do business in the new year? In this annual Legal Alert series, Best Best &...more
1/8/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Citizen Petitions ,
Compassionate Use Act ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Donations ,
Educational Institutions ,
Farms ,
Federal Elections ,
Firearms ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Medical Foods ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Mobile Device Management ,
Mobile Devices ,
New Legislation ,
Place of Origin ,
Polling Place ,
Project Labor Agreements ,
Public Agencies ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Redistricting ,
Referendums ,
Smartphones ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
Unions
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
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
10/16/2018
/ Ballot Measures ,
General Elections ,
Municipalities ,
Political Association ,
Political Campaigns ,
Public Agencies ,
Public Employees ,
Public Funds ,
Public Officials ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections
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
8/20/2018
/ Ballot Measures ,
Dispensaries ,
General Tax ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Municipalities ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Revenue Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Revenues
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
9/30/2016
/ Ballot Measures ,
Campaign Contributions ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
Citizens United v Federal Election Commission ,
Compelling Governmental Interest ,
Constitutional Amendment ,
Corporate Contributions ,
Free Speech ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Corruption ,
Presidential Elections ,
State and Local Government ,
Strict Scrutiny Standard ,
SuperPACs ,
Unions
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
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
4/26/2016
/ Ballot Measures ,
Governor Brown ,
Local Elections ,
Political Candidates ,
Presidential Elections ,
Primary Elections ,
Public Funds ,
Referendum Votes ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
Voter Registration ,
Voting Rights
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
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
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
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
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
9/10/2015
/ Equal Protection ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Land-Use Permits ,
Municipalities ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Displays ,
Religious Institutions ,
SCOTUS ,
Signs