Pass: 6117 / 69.67% Yes votes ...... 2663 / 30.33% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Impartial Analysis from the Pleasant Hill City Attorney

The Pleasant Hill City Council voted to place Measure T on the ballot. If approved by a majority of the voters, Measure T would make the office of City Clerk an appointed rather than an elected position. In Pleasant Hill, the City Clerk currently is an elected position. If Measure T is approved by the voters, the City Council would appoint the City Clerk or, if the City Council later adopts an ordinance so permitting, the City Manager would appoint the City Clerk.

As a result of the resignation of the City Clerk who was elected to a four-year term in November of 2012, the City Council appointed a person to complete that term ending in 2016. If Measure T is approved by the voters, there would be no election for the office of City Clerk in November of 2016. Instead, the City Council would appoint a City Clerk. If Measure T is not approved by the voters, there will be an election for the office of City Clerk in November of 2016.

State law requires a general law city, like Pleasant Hill, to have a city clerk. The position may be elected or appointed. The majority of California cities have appointed city clerks. Currently, the city clerk position in Pleasant Hill is part-time and elected to four-year terms, with the current term expiring in November 2016.

Qualifications and Duties of the City Clerk:

Under state law, to qualify to be an elected city clerk a person must be: 1) 18 years of age or older; 2) a Pleasant Hill resident; 3) a registered voter in Pleasant Hill; and 4) has not been convicted of certain disqualifying crimes, including, but not limited to, embezzlement of public money or bribery. If Measure T is approved by the voters, the City Council would establish the qualifications for the position of City Clerk.

The statutory duties of a city clerk include preparing the official minutes of City Council meetings, maintaining certain city records, administering oaths of office, acting as the custodian of the City seal, and receiving financial disclosure forms. In Pleasant Hill, City staff handles other duties of the City Clerk's office such as processing ordinances, resolutions, contracts and agreements, assembling Council agendas, administering municipal elections, publishing or posting of notices, and maintaining the Municipal Code.

In conclusion, a "yes" vote on Measure T allows the City Council to appoint the City Clerk. A "no" vote maintains the elective position of City Clerk.

Respectfully submitted,

Janet Coleson

Pleasant Hill City Attorney

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