Recreation and Park Districts

(Public Resources Code, Division 5, Chapter 4)

Term of Office

Elected District Directors serve a 4-year term beginning December 3, 2021.  Exception:  In the event of a vacancy during the first half of the term of office, and at least 130 days prior to the election, an appointment shall be made to fill the vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election for district directors, whereupon an election shall be held to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.

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Qualifications

A District Director shall:

• be a registered voter of the district; or
• if on December 31, 2001, a member of the board of directors was elected or appointed as a voter of this state and is an owner of real property within the district, pursuant to the former Section 5783.3, that person may continue to serve on that board of directors for the remainder of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, and that person may be elected or appointed to that board of directors in the future after that term ends, provided that the person continues to be a voter of this state and an owner of real property within the district; and
• not have been convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes, or for being an official interested in contracts, or becoming a vendor or purchaser at sales, or purchasing scrip of other evidences of indebtedness, in which the official has financial interest.

Filing Requirements

Nomination Documents and Procedures

Declaration of Candidacy: Each candidate is required to file a Declaration of Candidacy between July 12, 2021, and August 6, 2021. The Declaration shall be obtained from the office of the county elections official. The Declaration of Candidacy must be executed in the office of the elections official unless the candidate, in a written statement signed and dated by the candidate, designates a third party to obtain the Declaration from the county elections official and deliver it to the candidate. Such written statement shall state that the candidate is aware the Declaration must be properly executed and delivered to the county elections official from whom it was obtained not later than the close of business on August 6, 2019.

If an incumbent, eligible to be elected, fails to file a Declaration of Candidacy by the close of business on August 6, 2021, any person, other than the person who was the incumbent on August 6, 2021, may file a Declaration of Candidacy not later than the close of business on August 11, 2021.

Statement of Qualifications – Optional: Any candidate for local nonpartisan office may submit a Statement of Qualifications to be printed in the County Voter Information Guide. Statements must be filed at the same time nomination papers are filed and may be withdrawn, but not changed, until 5 p.m. the next regular business day after nominations close. Statements are confidential until nominations (or extended nominations) for that particular office close and then become public record.

Statements shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications, and shall not in any way make reference to other candidates for that office or to another candidate’s qualifications, character, or activities.

Misrepresentation in Statements: Any candidate in an election (including an incumbent in a recall) who knowingly makes a false statement of a material fact in a candidate's statement prepared pursuant to Elections Code §11327 or §13307, with the intent to mislead the voters, is punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).

Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700): Government Code §87300 requires every agency to adopt a Conflict of Interest Code.  A Conflict of Interest Code is a document that designates the positions within an agency which make or participate in making governmental decisions that may have a foreseeable material effect on any financial interest.

Each candidate must file a Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) not later than the final filing date for the Declaration of Candidacy.  Elected and appointed officials must file a Statement of Economic Interests within (30) days after assuming office; annually; and within (30) days of leaving office.  Under certain conditions, the Statement of Economic Interests need not be filed if such a statement was filed within (60) days prior to the filing of a Declaration of Candidacy or the date of assuming office.

Voluntary Code of Fair Campaign Practices – Optional: At the time an individual files his or her Declaration of Candidacy, Nomination Petition, or any other paper evidencing an intention to be a candidate for public office, the county elections official shall give the individual a copy of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices and a copy of the provisions of Ch. 5, Div. 20 of the Elections Code.

Campaign Committee Filing Obligations

See Campaign Disclosure Requirements in this guide or the appropriate Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Manual.

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