11.7: Direct Democracy at the Local Level

Citizen Control

Just as the voters of California have recourse to the tools of direct democracy—the initiative, the referendum, and the recall—so do the voters residing in cities, counties, and special districts. The usual forms of direct democracy are referenda presented to local voters to raise taxes. By law, changes in parcel tax (property tax), sales, business, hotel, and utility taxes must go before the voters and require two-thirds approval to be implemented. If a local government desires to borrow money for infrastructure (such as hospital construction and transportation), it must also receive a two-thirds majority support from voters. In 2000, with Proposition 39, California voters changed the requirement for bonds for school construction to only 55% ("A Look at Voter-Approval Requirements for Local Taxes.”)

Citizens may seek changes to local ordinances through initiatives and referenda. As with efforts to change state laws, supporters must gather registered voters' signatures to qualify the ballot measure. These requirements vary depending on the type of local government. In a general law city of more than one thousand residents, ten percent of the signatures of registered voters are required for an initiative to be placed on the ballot ("Laws Governing Local Ballot Measures in California"). A simple majority approves a non-revenue ordinance.

Finally, elected voters may recall officials in local governments. For example, in 2021, disgruntled with the perceived leniency of the policies of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascόn, voters circulated petitions to recall him. They failed to gather the requisite 10% of registered voters to put the measure on the ballot. Most recall efforts fail because of the expense and difficulty of collecting enough legitimate signatures.