(a) Before circulating any petition pursuant to Section 61025 or Section 61027, the proponents shall publish a notice of intention, which shall include a written statement not to exceed 500 words in length, setting forth the reasons for the proposal. The notice shall be published pursuant to Section 6061 in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the district. If the district is located in more than one county, publication of the notice shall be made in at least one newspaper of general circulation in each county.

(b) The notice shall be signed by at least one, but not more than three, proponents and shall be in substantially the following form:

“Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition

“Notice is hereby given of the intention to circulate a petition affecting the Board of Directors of the _________ (name of the district). The petition proposes that _______________ (description of the proposal).”

(c) Within five days after the date of publication, the proponents shall file with the secretary of the board of directors a copy of the notice together with an affidavit made by a representative of the newspaper in which the notice was published certifying to the fact of publication.

(d) After the filing required by subdivision (c), the petition may be circulated for signatures.

(e)  Sections 100 and 104 of the Elections Code shall govern the signing of the petition and the format of the petition.

(f) A petition may consist of a single instrument or separate counterparts. The proponents shall file the petition, together with all counterparts, with the secretary of the board of directors. The secretary shall not accept a petition for filing unless the signatures have been secured within six months of the date on which the first signature was obtained and the proponents submitted the petition to the secretary for filing within 60 days after the last signature was obtained.

(g) Within 30 days after the date of filing a petition, the secretary of the board of directors shall cause the petition to be examined by the county elections official, in accordance with Sections 9113 to 9115, inclusive, of the Elections Code, and shall prepare a certificate of sufficiency indicating whether the petition is signed by the requisite number of signers.

(h) If the certificate of the secretary shows the petition to be insufficient, the secretary shall immediately give notice, by certified mail, of the insufficiency to the proponents. That mailed notice shall state in what amount the petition is insufficient. Within 15 days after the date of the notice of insufficiency, the proponents may file with the secretary a supplemental petition bearing additional signatures.

(i) Within 10 days after the date of filing a supplemental petition, the secretary shall cause the supplemental petition to be examined by the county elections official.

(j) The secretary shall sign and date a certificate of sufficiency. That certificate shall also state the minimum signature requirements for a sufficient petition and show the results of the secretary’s examination. The secretary shall mail a copy of the certificate of sufficiency to the proponents.

(k) Once the proponents have filed a sufficient petition, the board of directors shall take the actions required pursuant to Section 61025 or Section 61027.

(Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 249, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2006.)