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<br />General Municipal <br />June 21, 2004 <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />Election <br /> <br />In connection with this election, candidates for Mayor and the City Council <br />may choose to have a candidate's statement sent to each voter as part of <br />the Voter Information Pamphlet. Candidate statements are produced at the <br />candidate's option, not mandated, and the State Elections Code allows the <br />Council to establish a charge to be levied against candidates in order to <br />recover the cost of printing, handling and mailing these statements. The <br />Orange County Registrar of Voters has advised the City that the estimated <br />cost to individual candidates for the November 2004 Election is $1,891. The <br />adoption of the recommended resolution will establish this charge for these <br />services. <br /> <br />The ordinance calling for the general municipal election also provides for <br />the submission of a question relating to an increase in the Hotel Visitors' <br />tax rate from 9% to 11%. This tax increase is proposed in connection with <br />the 2004-2005 budget to help address a projected deficit of expenditures <br />exceeding revenues by approximately $25 million. In addition to the <br />proposed Hotel Visitors' Tax increase, the budget proposal responds to the <br />challenge through a balanced approach of increasing revenues and decreasing <br />expenditures. The text of the ballot measure question and the text of the <br />proposed measure to be adopted by the voters is included in the ordinance. <br /> <br />California State Elections Code Section 9281 provides that arguments for <br />and against any city measure may be submitted to the qualified voters of <br />the city. The Elections Code specifies that the legislative body, or any <br />member or members of the legislative body authorized by that body, may <br />submit a written argument for or against the measure. This section further <br />authorizes any individual voter or bona fide association of citizens to <br />write arguments, however, the Elections Code specifies that members of the <br />Council would be given preference and priority, if authorized by the City <br />Council. The subject resolution would give that authorization to any member <br />of the Council desiring to submit an argument. <br /> <br />The procedures for filing ballot arguments are detailed in the Elections <br />Code. The elections official is required to fix a date after which no <br />arguments for or against any city measure may be submitted for printing and <br />distribution to the voters. These procedures, as well as general guidelines <br />for preparing arguments should be provided in a notice prepared by the <br />Clerk of the Council. <br /> <br />Whenever any city measure qualifies to be on the ballot, the City Council <br />may direct the City Attorney to prepare an impartial analysis of the <br />measure showing the effect of the measure on the existing law and the <br />operation of the measure (Elections Code § 9280). The analysis is printed <br />in the Voter Information Pamphlet preceding the arguments for and against <br />the measure. The analysis can not exceed 500 words in length. <br /> <br />Finally, pursuant to Section 10403 of the California Elections Code, the <br />City Council is required to formally request consolidation of the City's <br />general election with the State's general election. The subject resolution <br /> <br />50A-2 <br />