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Sec. 401. Qualifications of members. <br />To be eligible to be elected to the office of councilmember, a person must be a <br />qualified voter and a thirty (30) day resident of the ward from which the candidate <br />is nominated at the time nomination papers are issued as provided for in the <br />Elections Code of the State of California, except that the mayor need only be a <br />registered voter and thirty (30) day resident of the city at such time. In the event <br />any councilmember other than the mayor shall cease to be a resident of the ward <br />from which the councilmember (or, in the case of an appointee, the <br />councilmember's predecessor) was elected, or in the event the mayor shall cease to <br />be a resident of the city, the office shall immediately become vacant and shall be <br />filled in the same manner as herein provided for other vacancies; provided, that <br />where a councilmember ceases to be a resident of the ward from which the <br />councilmember (or, in case of an appointee, the councilmember's predecessor) was <br />elected solely because of a change in boundaries of any ward as in this charter <br />provided, the councilmember shall not lose the office by reason of such change. If <br />a member of the city council shall be convicted of a crime involving moral <br />turpitude, the office shall immediately become vacant and be so declared by the <br />city council. <br />A person who has served three (3) consecutive terms of four (4) years each <br />shall be eligible for appointment, nomination for or election to the office of <br />councilmember (regardless of wards represented by that person during such <br />period) no sooner than for a term beginning eight (8) years after completion of that <br />councilmember's third consecutive full term. <br />Short or partial terms shall not be considered in determining eligibility for <br />appointment, nomination or election. For purposes of this Charter, short or partial <br />terms shall only be those where the councilmember was elected or appointed to <br />replace another councilmember who left office before the latter official's term <br />expired. Any councilmember who assumed office at the beginning of a term and <br />left office early for any reason whatsoever shall be deemed to have served a full <br />term; provided, however that any person who has served twenty (20) consecutive <br />years in office, as both a council member and mayor, regardless of the order in <br />which they served, shall not be eligible for appointment, nomination or election as <br />a council member or as mayor, no sooner than for a term beginning eight (8) years <br />after completion of the council member or mayoral term, or vice versa. The <br />provisions of this section related to short or partial terms is deemed to be <br />declaratory of existing law.