13823-13831
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 13823-13831
13823. (a) If the local agency formation commission approves the formation of a district, with or without amendment, wholly, partially, or conditionally, the board of supervisors shall call and give notice of the election to be held in the proposed district. If the proposed district lies in more than one county, the board of supervisors shall call and give notice of the election to be held in the territory of the proposed district which lies in that county. (b) The election shall be held on the next regular election date not less than 113 nor more than 150 days after the date the board of supervisors calls and gives notice of the election. (c) Notice of the election shall be published pursuant to Section 6061 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation circulated within the territory of the proposed district which lies in the county. 13823.5. After the local agency formation commission approves the formation of the district, notwithstanding Section 13823, if the board of supervisors finds that the petition filed with the executive officer of the local agency formation commission pursuant to Section 13819 has been signed by not less than 51 percent of the registered voters residing within the territory to be included within the proposed district, the board of supervisors may dispense with an election and adopt the resolution required pursuant to Section 13829. The initial members of the board of directors of the district shall be determined pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 13834) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 12. 13824. Within five days after the district formation election has been called, the board of supervisors which has called the election shall transmit by registered mail a written notification of the election call to the executive officer of the local agency formation commission of the principal county. The written notice shall include the name and a description of the proposed district and may be in the form of a certified copy of the resolution adopted by the board of supervisors calling the district formation election. The executive officer of the local agency formation commission shall submit an impartial analysis of the proposed district formation to the officials in charge of conducting the district formation election, pursuant to Section 56859 of the Government Code. 13825. (a) The chief petitioners or the agency filing the resolution or any member or members of the board of supervisors authorized by the board, or any individual voter or bona fide association of citizens entitled to vote on the district formation proposition, or any combination of these voters and associations of citizens, may file a written argument for or a written argument against the proposed district formation. Arguments shall not exceed 300 words. Based on the time reasonably necessary to prepare and print the text of the proposition, analysis, arguments, and sample ballots and to permit the 10-day public examination period as provided in Section 9190 of the Elections Code for the particular election, the elections officials shall fix and determine a reasonable date prior to the election after which no arguments for or against the measure may be submitted for printing and distribution to the voters pursuant to Section 13826. Notice of the date fixed shall be published by the elections officials pursuant to Section 6061 of the Government Code. Arguments may be changed until and including the date fixed by the elections officials. (b) If more than one argument for or more than one argument against the proposed district formation is filed with the elections officials within the time prescribed, the elections officials shall select one of the arguments for printing and distribution to the voters. In selecting the arguments, the elections officials shall give preference and priority in the order named to the arguments of the following: (1) Chief petitioners, or the agency filing the resolution. (2) The board of supervisors, or any member or members of the board authorized by the board. (3) Individual voters, or bona fide associations of citizens or a combination of voters and associations. 13826. The elections officials in charge of conducting the election shall cause a ballot pamphlet concerning the district formation proposition to be voted on to be printed and mailed to each voter entitled to vote on the district formation question. Section 9190 of the Elections Code shall apply to the materials required to be contained in the ballot pamphlet. The ballot pamphlet shall contain the following, in the order prescribed: (a) The complete text of the proposition. (b) The impartial analysis of the proposition, submitted by the executive officer of the local agency formation commission. (c) The argument for the proposed district formation. (d) The argument against the proposed district formation. The elections officials shall mail a ballot pamphlet to each voter entitled to vote in the district formation election at least 10 days prior to the date of the election. The ballot pamphlet is "official matter" within the meaning of Section 13303 of the Elections Code. 13827. The notice of election shall contain all of the following: (a) The date of the election. (b) The name of the proposed district. (c) The purposes for which the district is to be formed. (d) A statement that the first directors will be elected at that election who will take office or will be appointed as the case may be, if the district is formed. (e) A description of the boundaries of the proposed district. 13828. (a) The formation election and the election of members of the district board, if any, shall be held and conducted in accordance with the Uniform District Election Law, Part 4 (commencing with Section 10500) of Division 10 of the Elections Code. (b) If less than a majority of the votes cast at the election is in favor of forming the district, the board of supervisors shall declare the proceedings terminated. 13829. If the majority of the votes cast at the election is in favor of forming the district the board or boards of supervisors shall by resolution entered on its minutes declare the district duly organized under the Fire Protection District Law, giving the name of the district, and the purposes for which it is formed, and describing its boundaries. If the district lies in more than one county, the county clerk of the principal county shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the county clerk of each of the other counties in which the district lies. 13830. If the district lies in one county, immediately after entering the resolution in the board minutes pursuant to Section 13829, the county clerk shall cause to be recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county for which he or she is county clerk a certified copy of the resolution forming the district. Thereupon, the organization of the district shall be complete. 13831. (a) No informality in any proceeding, including informality in the conduct of any election not substantially affecting adversely the legal rights of any person, shall invalidate the formation of any district. (b) The validity of the formation and organization of a district shall not be contested in any proceeding commenced more than 60 days after the date that the formation of the district is complete.