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<ns0:Id>20250SB__136999INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-20</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
<ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
<ns0:MeasureType>SB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>1369</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Reyes</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Reyes</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 101, 11020, and 11220 of the Elections Code, relating to elections. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>elections</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Recall petitions.</ns0:Subject>
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(1)
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Existing law requires a state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition that is required to be signed by voters to contain specified notices, including a notice that the petition may be circulated by a paid signature gatherer or volunteer.
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<html:p>This bill would additionally require the paid signature gatherer to orally disclose to each person, before providing the petition for the person’s signature, that they are being paid to circulate the petition.</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Existing law requires proponents of the recall of an elective officer to file and publish a notice of intention to circulate the recall petition. The notice of intention must contain a statement of the reasons for the proposed recall.
</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require
the proponents of the recall to sign the statement of reasons under penalty of perjury. By requiring the statement to be signed under penalty of perjury, the bill would create a new crime and therefore establish a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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Existing law requires a recall petition for a local officer to be submitted to the elections official within a specified number of days after the clerk notifies the proponents that the form and wording of the petition comply with certain requirements. The number of days depends upon the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction.
</html:p>
<html:p> For the recall of a superior court judge, this bill would instead require the petition to be submitted within 80 days after the clerk notifies the proponents, regardless of the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction.</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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The
California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
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<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 101 of the
<ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>101.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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Notwithstanding any other law, a state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition required to be signed by voters shall contain in 11-point type, before that portion of the petition for voters’ signatures, printed names, and residence addresses, the following language, in order:
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(1)
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“NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC:”. This text shall be in a boldface type.
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(2)
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If the petition includes the disclosure statement described by subdivision (b) of Section 107, the text “SIGN ONLY IF IT IS THE SAME MONTH SHOWN IN THE OFFICIAL TOP FUNDERS OR YOU SAW AN “OFFICIAL TOP FUNDERS” SHEET FOR THIS MONTH.” This text shall be in a
boldface type.
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<html:p>
(3)
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“THIS PETITION MAY BE CIRCULATED BY A PAID SIGNATURE GATHERER OR A VOLUNTEER. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK.” This text shall be in a non-boldface type.
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<html:p>
(b)
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A state initiative petition shall contain, in the same location and type size described in subdivision (a), the following language in a non-boldface type: “THE PROPONENTS OF THIS PROPOSED INITIATIVE MEASURE HAVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW THIS PETITION AT ANY TIME BEFORE THE MEASURE QUALIFIES FOR THE BALLOT.”
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<html:p>
(c)
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Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), a paid signature gatherer shall orally disclose to each person, before providing the petition for the person’s signature, that they are being paid to circulate the petition. The paid signature gatherer shall make
this disclosure regardless of whether the person asks if the signature gatherer is being paid.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 11020 of the
<ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>11020.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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The notice of intention shall contain all of the following:
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<html:p>
(1)
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The name and title of the officer sought to be recalled.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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A statement of the reasons for the proposed recall, not exceeding 200 words in length and signed by the proponents under penalty of perjury.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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The printed name, signature, and residence address, including street and number, city, and ZIP Code, of each of the proponents of the recall. If a proponent cannot receive mail at the residence address, the proponent shall provide an alternative mailing address. The notice of intention shall include at least the number of proponents specified in subdivision (b).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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The provisions of Section 11023.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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(1)
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For a state office, and for a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is at least 100,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 50, or equal to five times the number of signatures required to have been filed on the nomination paper of the officer sought to be recalled, whichever is higher.
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(2)
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For a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is at least 1,000 but less than 100,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 30, or equal to three times the number of signatures required to have been filed on the nomination paper of the officer sought to be recalled, whichever is higher.
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<html:p>
(3)
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For a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is less than 1,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 30.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 11220 of the
<ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>11220.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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A recall petition shall be submitted to the elections official for filing in their office during normal office hours as posted within the following number of days after the clerk or, in the case of a recall of a state officer, the Secretary of State, notifies the proponents that the form and wording of the petition meets the requirements of Article 3 (commencing with Section 11040) of Chapter 1:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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Forty days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 1,000 registered voters.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Sixty days if the
electoral jurisdiction has less than 5,000 registered voters but at least 1,000.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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Ninety days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 10,000 registered voters but at least 5,000.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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One hundred twenty days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 50,000 registered voters but at least 10,000.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
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One hundred sixty days if the electoral jurisdiction has 50,000 registered voters or more.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
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Eighty days for the recall of a judge of the superior court, regardless of the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For purposes of this section, the number of
registered voters shall be that which was reported at the last report of registration by the county elections official to the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 2187 and prior to a finding of the elections official or Secretary of State that no alterations are required in the form of the recall petition pursuant to Section 11042.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 4</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
<html:span class="ThinSpace"/>
B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution.
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