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CUPERTINO ELECTIONS
Rules and Regulations for Candidates
COUNCIL COMPOSITION AND SALARY
Five Council members are elected at-large for staggered, four-year terms. The election is non-partisan, and is held in November of odd-numbered years. Once seated, Council members themselves elect the Mayor and Vice Mayor for a term of one year. Meetings are typically held the first and third Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:45 p.m. usually lasting until 11:00 p.m. Council members typically spend 20-40 hours each week on their responsibilities.
As of November 2006, Council members earn a salary of $618.85 per month, and receive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits. Council members may also qualify for Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) benefits.
Council members must be registered voters within city limits. Residents of unincorporated County pockets do not qualify. Please note that postal and school boundaries are different than city boundaries.
ETHICS
All candidates are given the State’s Code of Fair Campaign Ethics and may voluntarily choose to sign that form and file it with the City Clerk. Violations of this form are reported to The The Fair Political Practices Commission at 1-800-561- 1861
FILING OBLIGATIONS
Candidates and seated Council members file a number of mandatory and voluntary documents. They include but are not limited to the following:
The Candidate Statement, which is printed in the Voter’s Information Pamphlet
A Statement of Economic Interest, in which the candidate discloses personal financial information that may create a potential conflict of interest
Several Campaign Disclosure Statements, which disclose who provided funding for the candidate and how those funds were spent
These are public records, and most are posted on the city’s Web site, or may be purchased from the City Clerk for 10 cents per page.
Note: If a candidate raises or spends $1,000 or more, that candidate officially qualifies as a controlled committee, and therefore must file a statement of organization and identify a treasurer. Although the candidate may serve as his or her own treasurer, it is strongly recommended that the candidate select another person to serve in that function, preferably someone with experience in basic accounting. The candidate and treasurer filing obligations continue on a semi-annual basis until the candidate leaves the Council or terminates the committee. Fines may be imposed for non-compliance.
SIGN REGULATIONS
Each year the City of Cupertino receives many complaints about signs that are improperly posted or which are posted in such numbers as to create an eyesore. In response to these complaints, the City Council has adopted sign regulations. All individuals who are involved with posting and removing temporary political signs should follow these guidelines. You may contact the Cupertino Code Enforcement Office at (408) 777-3182 for further information.
Temporary signs are prohibited in the public right -of-way. This includes streets, medians, islands, shoulders, sidewalks, utility poles, etc.
Temporary signs may be posted on private property with written or oral consent from the property owner.
Temporary political signs must be removed no later than 5 days after the election.
Any sign deemed to be a hazard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic will be removed.
HOW TO BEGIN
Review the information on this Web page
Call the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 777-3217 to make an appointment to take out nomination papers. (The nomination period begins in the middle of July in odd-numbered years). Allow at least one hour for the appointment, and bring your treasurer if one has been selected.
Open a separate campaign bank account as soon as possible (do not wait for the nomination period to begin)
Note: If you raise or spend $1,000 or more, your filing obligations have been triggered and you should contact the City Clerk’s Office immediately.
City Clerk Kimberly Smith
Deputy City Clerk Grace Schmidt
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, California 95014
CityClerk@Cupertino.org
(408) 777-CITY (2489)
Election-Related Links:
California Secretary of State
California Voter Foundation
League of Women Voters of California
The Fair Political Practices Commission
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
Smart Voter
Cupertino Elections Info
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