Elections
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC’s attorneys have broad experience advising and representing public agencies and elections officials throughout the state in all aspects of elections law, including:
- Districting and redistricting
- Conduct of both regular and special elections
- Drafting ballot titles and summaries
- Drafting ballot questions for agency-sponsored ballot measures
- Drafting impartial analyses
- Processing of initiative and referendum petitions
- Drafting initiative measures and referenda
- Reviewing ballot arguments
- Limitations on initiatives and referenda
- Campaign regulations
- Election contests
A small sample of the election law matters in which our attorneys have provided advice, including litigation matters, includes:
- Serving as General Counsel to the recently established Los Angeles County 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission;
- Assisting many California local governments in compliance with the California Voting Rights Act, which requires conversion from at-large to district elections in many communities;
- Advising a water management district regarding the constitutionality of a referendum on only a portion of a fee ordinance;
- Representation of the Pasadena City Clerk in obtaining a court order striking misleading language from a ballot argument against a telephone users’ tax measure;
- Advising a city clerk regarding the legality of a land use initiative;
- Representation of the Plumas Hospital District in defense of a petition for writ of mandate that sought to require it to hold an initiative election on a particular date;
- Advising a city as to the validity of an initiative to compel it to fund and operate a skate park;
- Advising the City of Vallejo regarding an election contest involving a nearly-tied mayoral election;
- Seeking a court order for a city clerk to compel changes in a ballot argument against a measure placed on the ballot by the city; and,
- Representation of the City of Huntington Beach in a matter where residents of annexed territory claimed a right to an election to approve the annexation leading to a published Court of Appeal victory under Proposition 218
Our attorneys’ expertise is further demonstrated by their work to review and edit the Elections chapter of the California Municipal Law Handbook and to present on election law topics at the League of California Cities Continuing Legal Education Seminar for City Attorneys. Our attorneys have also spoken on several occasions to the Southern California City Clerks Association.
In short, Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC and its lawyers have demonstrated expertise in all aspects of election law and are able to provide helpful, understandable elections advice in the short time that many elections matters require.