Crescenta Valley Town Council By-Laws Adopted August 21, 2003 Most recent version (revisions included) August 21, 2008 Article I: Name The name of the organization is Crescenta Valley Town Council, hereafter referred to as the “Council.” These by-laws shall hereafter be referred to as the “By-Laws.” Article II: Purpose A. The purpose of the Council is to provide a forum, through a town meeting, to identify and discuss the issues of concern to the residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas of La Crescenta and Montrose (census tracts 3001, 3002, and 3005), and to represent those residents and businesses. The Council shall also work together with government bodies and agencies, as well as local agencies and organizations, to meet the needs of the community. B. The property of this organization is irrevocable dedicated to charitable purposes and no part of the new income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer, or private person. C. Upon the dissolution or winding up of the organization, its assets remaining after payment, or provision for payment, of all debts and liabilities of this organization shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation, or corporation, which organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes and which has established its tax exempt status under IRC Section 501 (c)(4). Article III: Membership A. Membership Composition 1. The Council shall be composed of nine elected members, (hereafter referred to as regular members) and three alternate members (hereafter referred to as alternate members). Both a regular and alternate member of the Town Council shall be a registered voter, a resident of the unincorporated area of La Crescenta or Montrose represented by the Council for at least one year prior to running for the Council, and shall not have been disciplined by the Council (see Article VIII of these By-Laws), removed from the Council (see Article VIII of these By-Laws), or resigned during an on-going investigation for removal from the Council within the last two years prior to running for the Council. 2. In the event that a regular member of the Council does not complete his/her term of office, including, but not limited to resignation (Resignation of members shall become effective immediately after submission in writing to the President and acceptance by the President), moving out of the unincorporated area, discipline, or removal from the Council, the alternate member with the highest number of votes received in the prior election shall assume the responsibilities of the regular member for the remainder of the regular member’s term. If the alternate with the highest number of votes is not able to fill the vacancy, the alternate with the second highest number of votes shall substitute, and so on. In the event that there are no alternates to fill the vacancy in the Council, a replacement shall be appointed by the President and ratified by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. In the event that an alternate member does not complete his/her term of office, a replacement shall be appointed by the President and ratified by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. Alternates will not be appointed if it is within two months of the next Town Council election. B. Absence of Member In the event a regular member will be absent from a Council meeting or a portion of the meeting, the alternate member who received the highest number of votes in the election shall substitute for the absent regular member and shall assume the voting privileges of the absent regular member for that meeting or portion of the meeting. If the alternate with the highest number of votes is not present, the alternate with the second highest number of votes shall substitute, and so on. C. Voting Privileges Each regular member (or alternate substituting for a regular member) shall have one vote on the Council. Absentee voting or voting by proxy shall not be allowed. D. Alternate Members 1. An alternate member may not be elected to hold office on the Council, and may not vote except when a regular member is absent as described above. 2. Alternates may serve on or chair one or more of the committees and may be voting members on the committee to which they serve. 3. The line of succession of alternates is stated in this Article of these By-Laws. E. Terms of Office of Council Members Regular members of the Council shall serve for a term of three years. Alternate members of the Council shall serve for a term of one year. A term is defined as the period from installation to installation. Article IV: Officers A. Officers The officers of the Council shall be: President; Vice President; Recording Secretary; Treasurer; and Corresponding Secretary. B. Election of Officers 1. A nominating committee of three members of the Council shall prepare a slate of regular members and present the slate to the Council for review at the regular council meeting at least one month prior to the election of officers. 2. The nominating committee shall, at a minimum, contact all regular members of the Council and explain the officer position duties. Any regular member expressing an interest in a particular office shall be placed on the slate for that position, with the exception that in order to be elected to the office of President or Vice-President, the member must have already served at least one year on the Council prior to running for one of these offices. A regular member can be placed on the slate for more than one position. A member may be elected to only one office. Prior to voting for officers, nominations to officer positions may be made for any member not on the slate. Officers will be voted for in the following order: President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Corresponding Secretary. The elected officers will preside at the Council meetings in the same order in the event of an absence: President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Corresponding Secretary. 3. The election of officers shall take place at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Council after the election of the regular Council members so that the newly elected members shall be able to vote for the Council officers. Installation of new members shall occur before the installation of new officers, and at the same regular meeting. For example, the regular election would occur in November, and the slate of officers could be presented to the Council at the regular November meeting. In December, the new members could be installed, and the officers could then be elected and installed by the new Council at the same meeting. 4. The officers will be elected by majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. If an officer resigns or is removed from office, a new officer will be chosen from the Council and elected with majority approval of all the regular members of the Council. 5. A nominee for any office must be a regular member of the Council for the year in which he/she is being nominated. If an officer’s term as a member of the Council expires before the next election of officers, he/she shall continue in his/her office as an ex-officio member of the Council to the completion of his/her term. 6. An officer shall be elected by the Council for a term of one year. A term is defined as the period from installation to installation. C. Duties of the Officers 1. President/Mayor The President shall preside at each meeting of the Council according to Robert’s Rules of Order. He/she shall have the choice of using the title President or Mayor. He/she shall be responsible for preparing the agenda, presiding over the meeting, keeping the meeting free from annoyance of distractions and keeping the meeting on schedule. The President shall have all voting privileges on issues, and shall be the last member to be polled. The President shall also provide leadership for the Council and represent the Council as ceremonial head at all appropriate functions. 2. Vice President/Vice-Mayor The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President, and shall use the title Vice-Mayor if the President chooses to use the title Mayor. 3. Recording Secretary The Recording Secretary is the recording officer of the Council and the custodian of its records except those assigned to other officers. The Recording Secretary shall call the rolls; notify officers and committees of their appointments; supply committee members with a written copy of their duties as defined by the Chairperson or President and the addresses and phone numbers of all committee members; keep one book in which the by-laws and rules are kept; prepare and certify the correctness of the minutes of each regular or special meeting and enter them in the official minute book; notify members of regular and special meetings; bring to meetings the by-laws, rules, minute books, a list of standing and special committees, a list of the members, and a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order. 4. Corresponding Secretary The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Council and prepare the news releases to include publication of agendas and minutes (synopsis), and materials authorized by the Council for distribution to the community. 5. Treasurer The Treasurer shall receive and hold funds, conduct necessary banking, maintain pertinent financial books and records, sign checks along with the President or if the President is absent, with the Vice President, in payment for Council obligations, and serve as Chair of the Finance Committee. There shall be two signatures required on all checks. Article V: Organization of the Council A. Duties and Responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of the Council include the following: 1. The Council shall consider and present appropriate community concerns, as voiced by the residents within the area, to government agencies including local, regional, county, state and federal decision-making bodies. The Council shall establish contact with such agencies to participate where needed in the planning of future development in the area, and to review the proposals for government and other funding programs that may affect the area. 2. The Council shall provide the community with a monthly forum to bring views, wishes and concerns on issues before the Council. The Council shall consider the positions and concerns of the community as a whole. 3. The Council shall function as a voluntary organization of elected members from the community as a whole who receive no remuneration. 4. The Council shall encourage the flow of information among individuals and community organizations that are working for the betterment of the area. 5. The Council shall endeavor to establish contact with other Town Councils in Los Angeles County, and to establish contact with neighboring communities. 6. The Council shall be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing any political party or candidate. However, elected officials can speak to the Town Council, and Council members may support any political party or candidate as an individual so long as they do not in any way represent that they are speaking for the Council as a body. 7. The Council shall not borrow money nor incur any indebtedness. 8. Council members have the right to communicate as individuals with anyone; however, members shall not make statements verbally or in writing which deliberately distort the position of the Council. Council members shall not imply that they speak for the Council unless (a) they are expressing a previously established Council position, (b) they have specific authority from at least 4 other Council members during a meeting relating to that specific subject, or (c) they are Council committee chairs where the committee’s position has been endorsed by a majority of all the regular members of the Council. Council members shall not misrepresent the Council and its officers to outside persons. 9. Council members shall not engage in unlawful practices. 10. All written correspondence from the Council shall be signed by the Council President or his/her specific designee. A copy shall be saved. 11. (a) During the course of public Council meetings, Councilmembers should conduct themselves with professionalism and show courtesy to fellow Councilmembers, other town representatives, and the public. At meetings, Councilmembers should approach disagreements in a positive fashion, and refrain from personal criticisms of meeting participants and other town representatives. Likewise, the public attending these Council meetings should also conduct themselves appropriately. (b) Absenteeism amounting to two (2) out of any six consecutive regular meetings without an excuse acceptable to the majority of all the regular members of the Council shall indicate a lack of interest in serving. This rule applies to both regular and alternate members. The recording secretary shall be responsible for keeping attendance records. 12. Violation of the duties and responsibilities set forth in paragraphs 6-11 above constitute grounds for discipline and/or removal from the Council as set forth in Article VIII of these By-Laws. B. Meetings. The meetings of the Council shall be conducted as follows: 1. The Council shall meet in regular session on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise agreed upon by a majority of all the regular members of the Council at a regular session. 2. The Council shall be notified and provided with an agenda of regular Council meetings at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting. 3. A quorum of the Council shall consist of six (6) voting members. 4. “Special” meetings of the Council may be called by four (4) members of the Council submitting a written petition to the President or by the President. 5. Members must be notified of the time, place and subject of a “special” meeting of the Council. 6. Special meetings may be open to the public or closed to the public at the discretion of the Council, unless otherwise provided in these By-Laws. Special meetings may include, but are not limited to, meetings to consider discipline and/or removal, emergency meetings, or issues to be dealt with outside of the regular session meetings. C. Contracts. Town Council contracts must be in writing, must be authorized by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Town Council, and must be fully funded and executed by at least two of the following officers: the President, Vice President, or the Treasurer. Unless so authorized by the Town Council, no member, officer, or agent shall have any power or authority to bind the Town Council. D. Reports. The reports of the Council and Executive Committee shall be done as follows: 1. The President shall report once a year to the community at the last regular meeting of the Council on the business and accomplishments of the Council during the preceding year. 2. A financial report shall be prepared and published by the Treasurer at all regular meetings. 3. The Executive Committee shall report to the Council at each regular meeting on Executive Committee business. Article VI: Committees & Appointed Positions A. Standing Committees Standing Committees are those required to carry out the routine business of the Town Council, and include, but are not limited to: the Executive Committee, Public Relations Committee, Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee, Election Committee, and Nominating Committee. 1. Each standing committee shall consist of at least one regular Council member as chair. The President shall appoint each committee chair subject to majority approval by all the regular members of the Council. 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the five officers of the Council. Any three officers shall make up a quorum. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: a. The Executive Committee shall act as a steering committee formulating recommendations for Council action at the next regular meeting. Meetings shall be called by the President or by three of the five officers, with the President or Vice President presiding. 3. The Public Relations Committee shall handle press releases and publicity for the Council. 4. The Finance Committee shall prepare a budget for the year and oversee the finances for any event sponsored by the Council. The Treasurer shall serve as the committee chair. 5. The Fundraising Committee shall raise funds for the Council. 6. The Election Committee shall prepare for, conduct, and report on the election. No member of the election committee can be running for election or reelection. The members of the Election Committee shall consist of at least three regular Council members. If three members are unavailable, then the President may add non-Council community members as needed to make at least three persons on the Election Committee. 7. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of proposed officers and present them to the Council for review at the regular council meeting in the month prior to the election of officers. The officers proposed must be regular council members for the term proposed. The nominating committee shall consist of at least three regular council members. Additional duties for this committee are set forth in Article IV of these By-Laws. B. Special Committees Special Committees will be designated by majority vote of the regular council members from time to time to address special purposes concerning the Council, and will terminate upon completion of that special purpose. The President shall appoint each committee chair subject to majority approval by all the regular members of the Council. These committees may include, but are not limited to: planning and review, Foothill Design, by-laws, multi-family dwellings, streets and roadways, public safety, youths and seniors, Arbor Day, scholarship, library, and historical society. C. Appointed Positions The President may appoint the following positions including, but not limited to: parliamentarian, historian, legal counsel, sergeant-at-arms, and auditor. All appointments are subject to confirmation by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. 1. The Parliamentarian shall be a person with demonstrated experience in parliamentary procedure who shall attend all Council meetings. 2. The Historian shall keep clippings from newspapers and other publications and collect all other historical records. The records shall be available for review by the Council. 3. The auditor shall be appointed yearly by the President to audit all financial records for that year. Article VII: Finances A. Budget Preparation and Adoption. The Council budget shall be prepared annually by the Finance Committee and must be approved by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. B. Dues. There shall be no dues required of Council members. C. Auditor. The financial books of the Council shall be audited annually, between the last regular meeting of the year, and the first regular meeting of the new year. The audit shall be conducted by either an outside auditor selected by the President and approved by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council or conducted by a review of a committee of three members of the Council. Article VIII: Discipline, Removal, and Recall of Members and Officers A. Discipline 1. Discipline is censure of either a regular or alternate member of the Council. Censuring of a member can be of a length, breadth, or nature as decided upon by the Council and is not herein defined. 2. The grounds for discipline include committing a criminal offense or violation of the duties and responsibilities of council members as set forth in Article V, sections 6-11 of these By-Laws. 3. Discipline proceedings shall be governed by the following process: a. Any Council member may make a motion to initiate discipline proceedings. The motion may be made in either a public or private meeting of the Council. The motion must be passed by a simple majority of all the regular members of the Council to initiate discipline proceedings. b. The President (or if the President is being investigated for discipline, the Vice-President) shall have seven (7) days to refer the matter to an investigative committee composed of three (3) regular members (not including the person charged), chosen in a random manner. c. The investigative committee shall investigate the charges and bring their findings to the Council within 30 days after the matter is referred to them. d. Evidence of allegations shall be heard at closed meetings conducted by the Council. These meetings shall be held in the strictest confidence. Only if requested in writing by an accused person shall any of the proceedings ever be made public. If discipline is deemed necessary, then the discipline shall be made public. e. After hearing evidence of allegations, the Council shall vote on whether discipline is necessary. Discipline shall be imposed only if at least two-thirds (2/3) of all the regular members of the Council (excluding the member charged) vote in favor of discipline. f. Should the accused member tender resignation the entire matter shall end at that time. g. Should the evidence show that the accused may be subject to removal as well as discipline, the motion for discipline may be changed by a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council to be a motion for removal or a motion for removal and/or discipline. B. Removal of Council Members 1. Both regular and alternate members of the Council may be removed from the Council. 2. Removal of a Council member is an extreme action and in recognizing that the voters elected Council members, this action can be undertaken only after it is established that either a criminal offense was committed or that a violation of the member’s duties as set forth in Article V, sections 6-11 of these By-Laws was so serious as to warrant this drastic action. 3. Removal proceedings shall be governed by the following process: a. Any Council member may make a motion to initiate removal proceedings. The motion may be made in either a public or private meeting of the Council. The motion must be passed by a simple majority of all the regular members of the Council to initiate proceedings. A motion for removal may also be combined with a motion for discipline. A member need not be disciplined prior to removal. b. The President (or if the President is being investigated for removal and/or discipline, the Vice-President) shall have seven (7) days to refer the matter to an investigative committee composed of three (3) regular members (not including the person charged), chosen in a random manner. c. The investigative committee shall investigate the charges and bring their findings to the Council within 30 days after the matter is referred to them. d. Evidence of allegations shall be heard at closed meetings conducted by the council. These meetings shall be held in the strictest confidence. Only if requested in writing by an accused person shall any of the proceedings ever be made public. If removal is deemed necessary, then the removal shall be made public. e. After hearing evidence of allegations, the Council shall vote on whether removal is necessary. A member may be removed from office by at least a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all the Council members (excluding the member charged). His/her vacancy will be filled as set forth in Article III of these By-Laws. f. Should the accused member tender resignation the entire matter shall end at that time. C. Removal of Officers 1. Grounds for removal of Council officers from their office include continued neglect, gross neglect, or willful neglect of the duties of the office. 2. Removal proceedings shall be governed by the following process: a. Any Council member may make a motion to initiate removal from office proceedings. The motion may be made in either a public or private meeting of the Council. The motion must be passed by a simple majority of all the regular members of the Council to initiate proceedings. b. The President (or if the President is being investigated for removal from office, the Vice-President) shall have seven (7) days to refer the matter to an investigative committee composed of three (3) regular members (not including the person charged), chosen in a random manner. c. The investigative committee shall investigate the charges and bring their findings to the Council within 30 days after the matter is referred to them. d. Evidence of allegations shall be heard at closed meetings conducted by the Council. These meetings shall be held in the strictest confidence. Only if requested in writing by an accused person shall any of the proceedings ever be made public. If removal is deemed necessary, then the removal shall be made public. e. After hearing evidence of allegations, the Council shall vote on whether removal from office is necessary. A member may be removed from office by at least a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all the Council members (excluding the member charged). Removal will be effective immediately following an affirmative vote for removal from office. His/her vacancy will be filled as set forth in Article IV of these By-Laws. f. Should the accused member tender resignation the entire matter shall end at that time. D. Recall 1. To recall either a regular or alternate Council member, a written petition must be submitted to the President, or if it concerns the President to the Vice President, stating that a recall petition is being circulated to collect signatures, and the name of the person sought to be recalled. A copy of the actual recall petition that will be circulated for signatures must also be submitted. Those seeking the recall of either a regular or alternate Council member shall have ninety (90) days to collect signatures and return those petitions containing the signatures to the President, or if it concerns the President to the Vice President. 2. The President, or Vice President, shall have up to 14 days to submit the recall petition to the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall have 30 days from receipt of the petition to verify the signatures on the recall petition are eligible voters as defined in Article X of these By-Laws. 3. If at least three hundred (300) of the signatures are deemed to be eligible voters and valid signatures by the Election Committee, a recall election shall occur within 90 days of the submission of the recall petition to the Election Committee, and the Committee shall publicize the election in a manner it deems reasonable and appropriate. 4. At least two-thirds of the participating voters at the recall election must vote in favor of recall in order for the regular or alternate Council member to be recalled from the Council. Article IX: Parliamentary Authority Subject to the primacy of the By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order is the parliamentary procedure used by the Council. Article X: Elections A. Town Council elections shall be held each year in the month of November. B. The elections shall be by secret ballot, on ballots prepared by the Election Committee. Elections shall follow the spirit and intent of the California Elections Code. C. Candidates for office must be a registered voter, a resident of the unincorporated area of La Crescenta/Montrose represented by the Council for at least one year prior to running for the Council, and shall not have been disciplined by the Council (see Article VIII of these By-Laws), removed from the Council (see Article VIII of these By-Laws), or resigned during an on-going investigation for removal from the Council within the last two years prior to running for the Council Candidate filing forms will be made available 60 days before the scheduled election, and filing will close 20 days before the scheduled election. D. Elected positions on the Council will be filled in the order of the candidates with the highest number of votes. For example, the candidate with the highest number of votes will fill the first elected position. The candidate with the second highest number of votes will fill the next elected position, and so on until both the regular members and alternate member positions are filled. In the event of a tie that changes whether a candidate is a regular member or an alternate member, or an alternate member or not a member at all, the prior Council will hold a special meeting and vote to break the tie regarding the newly elected Council. The regular Council members who did not run in that election shall be eligible to vote. If a tie persists, the President shall decide. E. Regular members of the Council shall be elected to serve for a term of three years. Alternate members of the Council shall serve for a term of one year. F. To be eligible to vote in a Town Council election, one must be a registered voter according to the current Registrar-Recorder’s voters list or must be able to provide proof of registration prior to the election, and must be a resident in the unincorporated area served by the Town Council. G. Absentee Ballots will be made available to those eligible to vote as set forth in these By-Laws. Absentee ballots will be prepared and made available from the Elections Committee no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the election date. They must be appropriately marked, signed, and returned to the Elections Committee prior to close of the polls on the election date to be counted. Distribution, creation, and collection of absentee ballots will be left to the discretion of the Election Committee. See Appendix A of these By-Laws for the suggested procedure for absentee ballot. H. Winning candidates will be installed at a regular Council meeting following the election, and prior to the election of officers. I. As part of the installation, winning Council members shall take the following oath of office: “I (Council member’s name) accept the position bestowed upon me by the registered voters of this community, and pledge to faithfully execute all duties and responsibilities bestowed upon me on behalf of the community. I pledge to uphold the Town Council’s by-laws, and to maintain moral and ethical conduct during my term in office.” J. The Election Committee shall submit a final written report to the Council within thirty (30) days after the election, including the number of votes for each candidate and the total number of voters. K. The new Election Committee shall be formed at the next regular meeting following the installation of the new officers. Article XI: Procedures to Amend the By-laws A. Amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed by any regular member of the Town Council. B. By-Laws shall only be amended by a vote of two-thirds of all of the regular Council members. C. Written notice of the proposed amendment(s) to the By-Laws must be delivered to the members of the Council one week prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be considered. The written notice shall be definite as to the exact points to be modified. Written notice may include notice via e-mail with the stipulation that a return receipt is requested from the sender and received back by each Councilmember notified by e-mail. D. When read to the Council for consideration, the motion to amend the By-Laws is subject to amendments of the first and second degrees insofar as these amendments are within the scope of the motion and must carry a majority vote of all the regular members of the Council. E. There shall be two readings of the amendment at public meetings before the final vote. Any amendment to the By-Laws shall go into effect immediately upon its adoption, unless the motion to adopt specifies a time for its enactment. Article XII: Standing Rules A. Executive committee meetings are open to the public. B. Awards and community function costs must not exceed the budgeted amount for the year unless approved by a majority Council vote of all the regular members of the Council. C. All committees welcome community volunteers at the discretion of the Chairperson to encourage public involvement. D. General meetings shall begin with the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States of America, and an invocation. Appendix A Absentee Ballot Procedures 1. Absentee ballots will only be available upon request by mail. Send a letter, requesting an absentee ballot to the Town Council’s P.O. Box 8676, La Crescenta, CA 91224. There is no form to request an absentee ballot. All that is needed is a note requesting the ballot including the registered voters full name, address, phone number, and signature. Requests relayed orally will not be honored. Absentee Ballots will be sent to the registered voters address as on the voter list. Each voter must request their own ballot with their own signature, but there may be one letter for a household as long as all of the names and signatures are included. 2. A request for an absentee ballot must be received by the Council on or before __________________(date at least 7 days prior to the election). 3. Absentee ballots will be mailed only to an address in the unincorporated area and only to an individual listed as a registered voter per the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder’s official list of voters. The voter list will be marked with an “AV” next to voters who requested an absentee ballot. There will be an additional list of all voters who requested absentee ballots in alphabetical order by last name including the date they were sent, the address sent to, the date the absentee ballot was received back, and how many total ballots were mailed. 4. Instructions for returning the absentee ballot. a. Vote for up to three candidates. b. Place your marked ballot in an unmarked envelope. Seal it. Each ballot must have their own unmarked outer envelope. c. Place the envelope containing your ballot inside a second envelope and address it to: Crescenta Valley Town Council, P.O. Box 8676, La Crescenta, CA 91224. d. Seal the exterior envelope and write full name, address, and signature on the exterior envelope. Each ballot must have their own exterior envelope with the full name, and signature on the outside. e. The Town Council will use the information on the exterior envelope to validate that you are an eligible voter. The interior sealed envelope, containing your absentee ballot will be removed and placed with other absentee ballots. All absentee ballots will be opened and counted on Election Day by the Election Committee. 5. Absentee ballots must be returned by mail to Crescenta Valley Town Council, P.O. Box 8676, La Crescenta, CA 91224. The absentee ballots must be received by the CVTC by closing of the polls on Election Day. An absentee ballot may be hand delivered to the polling location by a member of the household with a valid California ID. If a voter requested an absentee ballot and chooses not to vote absentee, the poll workers must first determine that an absentee ballot for the voter has not been turned in, the voter may vote with a regular ballot. Appendix B Campaign Code of Conduct The Council will ask each candidate to sign a Campaign Code of Conduct. This document will be made public knowledge. The following is the Campaign Code of Conduct: There are basic principles of decency, honesty, and fair play which every candidate for public office in the State of California has a moral obligation to observe and uphold. THEREFORE: 1. I SHALL CONDUCT my campaign in good faith and show respect for my fellow candidates. 2. I SHALL OBTAIN the private property owner's permission before placing or allowing others to place my campaign signs/posters on their property. 3. I SHALL DEFEND AND UPHOLD the right of every qualified voter to full and equal participation in the electoral process. 4. I SHALL REMOVE all campaign materials within 48 hours of the election. 5. I SHALL NOT defame, libel, or slander, any candidate or his or her family. 6. I SHALL NOT USE NOR PERMIT any appeal to prejudice based on race, gender, religion, national origin, physical health status, or age. 7. I SHALL NOT USE NOR PERMIT any dishonest or unethical practice including acts intended to hinder or prevent any eligible person from registering to vote, enrolling to vote, or voting. 8. I SHALL NOT PERMIT NOR CONDONE any removal or destruction of any opponent’s signs, brochures, flyers, or other campaign material. 9. I SHALL NOT PLACE NOR PERMIT others involved in my campaign to place campaign materials in illegal locations (i.e. telephone poles1, public fencing2, trees in the right of way3, light poles4, on or inside mailboxes5). See ordinances below. 10. I SHALL NOT PERMIT NOR CONDONE campaign literature, or an individual or individuals to electioneer, within 100 feet of the polling location on Election Day. I, the undersigned candidate for membership on the Crescenta Valley Town Council, hereby pledge myself to conduct my campaign in accordance with the above principles and practices. CANDIDATE SIGNATURE: _______________________________________________ DATE: _________________________ LA County Code 22.52.990E1, CA Penal Code 5562, LA County Code 22.52.990E3, LA County Code 22.52.990E4, 18 USC 17255