(1) Persons subject to recall. Every incumbent of an elective office, whether elected by popular vote or appointed to fill a vacancy, is subject to recall by the voters of the City. The procedure for recall shall be as provided in this Section 7.

(2) Commencement of recall proceedings. Recall proceedings may be commenced by the service, filing and publication of a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition pursuant to subdivision (6) of this Section 7. Proceedings may not be commenced against the holder of an office unless, at the time of commencement, the holder has held office for at least six months and no recall petition has been filed against such holder within the preceding six months. Recall proceedings may not be commenced if the office holder’s term of office ends in six months or less.

(3) Recall petition. A petition demanding the recall of the officer sought to be recalled shall be filed with the City Clerk. The petition shall be signed by not less than 25 percent of the registered electors of the City eligible to vote for said officer as indicated by the most recent Report of Registration by the county elections official to the Secretary of State.

(4) Repealed.

(5) Recall of more than one officer. One election is sufficient for the recall of one or more officers, but a separate petition is necessary to propose the recall of each officer.

(6) Notice of intention to circulate petition; statement. The proponents shall serve, file and publish a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition. Said notice shall contain the name of the officer sought to be recalled and the title of their office, a statement in not more than 500 words of the grounds on which the recall is sought, and the name and address of at least one proponent. The notice of intention shall be served, personally or by certified mail, on the officer sought to be recalled, and a copy thereof with a certificate of the time and manner of service shall be filed with the City Clerk.

(7) Answer to statement of proponents. Within seven days after the filing of the notice of intention, the officer sought to be recalled may file with the City Clerk an answer in not more than 500 words to the statement of the proponents, and, if an answer is filed, shall serve a copy thereof, personally or by certified mail, on one of the proponents named in the notice of intention. The statement and answer are intended solely for the information of the voters and no insufficiency in the form or substance thereof shall affect the validity of the election or proceedings.

(8) Publication of notice, statement and answer. The notice, statement and answer, if any, shall be published by the proponents at least once in a newspaper of general circulation published in the City, or, if there be no such newspaper, then in a newspaper published in the County and of general circulation within the City. The provision of Section 68 of this Charter indicating that posting shall be sufficient publication of any matter required by the Charter to be published shall not be applicable to the publication requirement of this Subdivision (8) of Section 7.

(9) Circulation of petition. Seven days after filing an affidavit of publication of the notice, statement and answer, if any, with the City Clerk, the recall petition may be circulated and signed. The petition shall bear a copy of the notice of intention, statement and answer, if any. If the officer has not answered, the petition shall so state. Signatures shall be secured and the petition filed within 90 days from the filing of the affidavit of publication.

(10) Signatures. The signatures appended to the petition need not all be appended to one paper but may be in sections. Each signer shall print their name, add their signature, and list their residence, giving street and number. If no street or number exists, then a designation of the place of residence shall be given which will enable the location to be readily ascertained.

(11) Affidavit of Circulator. Each section of the petition shall have attached to it an affidavit made by the circulator of the petition. The affidavit shall be sworn to under penalty of perjury and shall conform to the requirements of the state Elections Code Sections 104 and 9022 or their successors.

Any section of a petition may include a number of attached sheets.

(12) Clerk’s examination of petition. In order to be acceptable for filing, the petition must on its face purport to have appended to it signatures of voters in the required number. Within 30 business days from the date the petition is filed, the Clerk shall examine and from the records of registration ascertain whether or not the petition is signed by the requisite number of voters. The Clerk shall attach to the petition their certificate showing the result of their examination.

(13) Insufficient petition. If the certificate of the City Clerk shows that the petition is insufficient, no action shall be taken thereon. The petition shall remain on file pursuant to Elections Code Section 11226 as it may be amended from time to time, and the failure to secure sufficient names shall not prejudice the filing later of an entirely new petition to the same effect.

(14) Submission to Council; order for election. If the petition is sufficient, the Clerk shall submit certification of petition’s sufficiency to the Council without delay. The Council shall at once order a special election to be held, not less than 100 nor more than 180 days after the date of the order, to determine whether the voters will recall the officer sought to be recalled. If a regular municipal election, a previously called special municipal election, or any statewide election is to be held within this time period, the Council may order the recall election to be held on the day of that election.

(15) Nominations.

(15.5) Sample ballot. The Clerk shall cause to have mailed to each voter, at least 10 days prior to the election, a sample ballot and a separate printed copy of the statement of the proponents and of the answer, if any, of the officer sought to be recalled. If the recall of more than one officer is sought, the statement and answer for each shall be printed together and shall be clearly distinguished from those of any other officer.

(16) Form of recall question. There shall be printed on the recall ballot, as to each officer whose recall is to be voted on, the following question: "Shall (name of person) be recalled from the office of (title of the office)?" Following which question shall be the words "yes" and "no" on separate lines, with a voting square at the right of each, in which the voter shall indicate in the manner prescribed their vote for or against the recall.

(17) Ballot; nominees; counting votes. On the recall ballots, under each question, there shall be printed the names of those persons who have been nominated, in the manner provided by this Charter for nominations at municipal elections, as candidates to succeed the incumbent if they are recalled from office by the recall election. The name of the person against whom the petition is filed shall not appear on the ballot as a candidate for the office. Voting procedure shall be in accordance with Article III, Section 5, Paragraph 12 and Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter.

(18) Canvass of votes. The City Council shall meet at its usual place of meeting on the first Tuesday after the completion of the canvass of votes cast to declare the results as in a regular election. If a majority of those voting at the election voted in favor of the recall of any incumbent from office, the incumbent shall be deemed removed from office upon the qualification of their successor.

If all of the members of the City Council or Board of Education are recalled, and no candidates are elected to succeed them, the recall shall fail and the incumbents shall remain in office.

If all or part of the members of the City Council or Board of Education are recalled, and not enough candidates are elected to provide a quorum, the appointment of persons to bring the membership up to a quorum shall be by the remaining members of the City Council or Board of Education, as the case may be. The quorum shall fill the remaining vacancies by appointments. If there are any unfilled vacancies remaining 60 days after the completion of the canvass of votes cast, and more than 180 days will elapse before the next general municipal election will be held, the City Council shall immediately cause an election to be held to fill the vacancies.

A person appointed to office under this section shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term of the recalled officer whose position they are appointed to fill.

(19) Declaration of election of candidate; failure to qualify; filling vacancy. If the vote recalls the officer, the candidate who has received the highest number of votes for the office shall be declared elected for the unexpired term of the former incumbent. If the person who received the highest number of votes fails to qualify within 10 days after the declaration of their election, the office shall become vacant and shall be filled according to law.

(20) Vacancy in office after recall petition is filed.

(21) Disqualification from office. A person who has been recalled, or who has resigned from office while recall proceedings were pending against them, shall not be a candidate for nor appointed to such office within one year after their resignation or recall.

(22) Further regulations. The City Council may, by resolution, make such further regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Section.