AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 3, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 2, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 20, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

92

CHAPTER 108

Statutes of 2026

[ Approved by Governor August 6, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State August 6, 2026. ]

URGENCY STATUTE

Introduced by Assembly Member Soria

February 12, 2026

An act relating to elections, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: no   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The electors of a county may propose an ordinance to the county board of supervisors by submitting an initiative petition containing signatures by registered voters in the county in an amount equal to 10% of the number of votes cast within the county for all candidates for Governor at the preceding gubernatorial election. If the county elections official certifies that an initiative petition has been signed by at least that number of voters, the county board of supervisors is required to either adopt the ordinance or submit it to the voters at the next statewide election occurring not less than 88 days later.

This bill would require any Fresno County initiative petition that has been certified as sufficient by the Fresno County Registrar of Voters on or before July 8, 2026, to be submitted, without alteration, to the voters at the November 3, 2026, statewide general election.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Fresno.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Any Fresno County initiative petition that has been certified as sufficient by the Fresno County Registrar of Voters on or before July 8, 2026, shall be submitted, without alteration, to the voters at the November 3, 2026, statewide general election. The Fresno County Registrar of Voters and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors shall perform all acts that they would otherwise perform to place a qualified initiative measure on the ballot.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique fiscal circumstances facing the County of Fresno arising from the expiration of its local transportation tax.

SEC. 3.

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order to allow the County of Fresno to place a transportation funding measure before the voters at the earliest possible statewide election in 2026 before the expiration of its local transportation tax, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.