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Judicial Elections Bill Advances in Assembly
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize legislation to keep the names of appellate court justices off the ballots unless a petition were filed with the requisite number of signatures forcing a jurist to face voters has passed its first test, with four Democrats approving the measure and two Republicans opposing it.
“Yes” votes were cast in the Assembly Elections Committee on Wednesday by Democrats Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz, the bill’s author; José Luis Solache Jr., Paramount; Steve Bennett, Thousand Oaks; and Marc Berman, Palo Alto.
Voting against ACA-8 were Republicans Alexandra M. Macedo, Visalia, and David J. Tangipa, Fresno.
The proposal is to add this language to Art. VI, §16:
“The Legislature may provide by statute that the name of a judge of the Supreme Court or a court of appeal who files a declaration of candidacy shall not appear on the ballot, and instead the judge shall be deemed elected, unless a petition requesting that the judges name appear on the ballot is filed by a requisite number of registered voters qualified to vote for the office.”
The bill was referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
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