REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Introduce an Ordinance Amending Section 2.28.030 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to Reduce the Number of Signatures Required for District Council Candidates Submitting In-Lieu Petitions for City-Paid Publication Costs of City Council Candidate Statements
Report
BACKGROUND
At the March 3, 2020 election, Sunnyvale voters approved Measure B, changing the Sunnyvale electoral system from seven at-large councilmembers to a system with six district-based councilmembers and a mayor elected at-large. Sunnyvale voters residing within each Council district vote for their respective councilmember and all Sunnyvale voters vote for the mayor.
Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) section 2.28.030 is a long-established provision of the Municipal Code that allows candidates for City Council to obtain a full or partial subsidy for the cost of publishing a candidate statement for a local election. The City pays the full cost of publishing a candidate statement for any candidates who submit 250 or more signatures, verified by the registrar of voters. Candidates submitting less than 250 verified signatures are eligible for a pro-rated amount based on the number of verified signatures.
On June 9, 2020, Council approved waiving the signature gathering requirement in SMC Section 2.28.030 and the City paying publication costs of all city council candidate statements for the November 2020 general municipal election due to the COVID-19 emergency (RTC No. 20-0498).
On July 14, 2020, Council held a Study Session regarding local campaign finance, including a discussion of the requirements in SMC section 2.28.030 and the change to district-based elections (RTC No. 20-0597). Key areas of discussion about SMC section 2.28.030 included the following comments and ideas:
? Setting the number of signatures required for a full subsidy of a district councilmember at a number lower than the current 250, possibly 50 or 100 signatures.
? Requiring all candidates to pay a ...
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