INITIATIVE

Los Angeles City Charter tit. I, art. IV, pt. INITIATIVE

in effect

Los Angeles City Charter § 450 Subject of Initiative.

Sec. 450. Subject of Initiative. (a) Any proposed ordinance which the Council itself might adopt may be submitted to the Council by a petition filed with the City Clerk, requesting that the ordinance be adopted by the Council or be submitted to a vote of the electors of the City. Any proposed ordinance amending or repealing an ordinance previously adopted by a vote of the electors may be submitted to the Council by a petition filed with the City Clerk requesting that the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the electors of the City. (b) Petitions to amend the Charter shall be governed by provisions of the California Constitution and applicable provisions of state law concerning Charter amendments.

Los Angeles City Charter § 451 Initiative Petition.

Sec. 451. Initiative Petition. Any petition submitting a proposed ordinance to the Council as provided in this Article shall comply with the provisions of the Charter and the City Election Code. The following shall apply to all initiative petitions: (a) Prior to the circulation of any initiative petition, the proponents of the petition shall submit a draft of the petition to the City Clerk, setting forth the proposed ordinance in full. In accordance with procedures contained in the City Election Code, the City Attorney shall prepare an official title and summary of the petition provisions of the proposed ordinance. The official title and summary shall be incorporated into and appear on all copies of the initiative petition circulated for signatures and filed with the City Clerk. (b) All names signed to a petition must have been secured not more than 120 days prior to the date of filing. Any signature affixed outside of this time period shall not be counted in determining the sufficiency of the petition. To qualify for presentation to the Council, an initiative petition shall be signed by registered voters of the City in a number equal to 15% of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of Mayor at the last general municipal election, or primary nominating election, at which a Mayor was elected prior to the date the City Clerk approves the petition for circulation. In order to be accepted for filing with the City Clerk, the petition must on its face purport to have the requisite number of signatures appended to it. (c) The City Clerk shall examine the petition and determine whether it contains the requisite number of signatures of registered voters, in accordance with procedures contained in the City Election Code. When the City Clerk has completed the examination of the petition, the Clerk shall prepare a dated certificate showing the result of the examination, and shall notify the sponsors of the petition of either the sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition without delay. (d) The City Election Code shall govern the process by which and circumstances under which an insufficient petition may be supplemented, the process by which a certificate of insufficiency may be contested, and the process by which and circumstances under which the signer of a petition may withdraw his or her name. (e) If, by the certificate of the City Clerk, the petition is shown to be sufficient, the City Clerk shall present the petition to the Council without delay. The sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition shall not be subject to review by the Council. (f) No amendments, changes, alterations or corrections of any kind, clerical or otherwise, shall be permitted to be made in any petition after it has been filed with and approved by the City Clerk. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsec. (b), Charter Amendment HH, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Los Angeles City Charter § 452 Action by Council on Initiative Petition Requesting Adoption of Ordinance.

Sec. 452. Action by Council on Initiative Petition Requesting Adoption of Ordinance. (a) The proponents of an initiative petition may withdraw the petition in accordance with the procedures of the City Election Code. (b) When an initiative petition requesting the adoption by the Council of a proposed ordinance is presented to the Council by the City Clerk, the Council must take one of the following actions within 20 days after the presentation, unless the petition is withdrawn by the proponents: (1) adopt the proposed ordinance, without alteration; (2) determine to submit the proposed ordinance, without alteration, to a vote of the electors of the City at either a special election, the next regular City election, or the next Statewide election, to be held more than 110 days from the date of Council action on the petition; or (3) refer the proposed ordinance to a department or office for a report on its fiscal and other impacts on the City, provided however that the Council must take one of the actions described in Subdivisions (1) or (2) of this subsection within 30 days after referring the proposed ordinance for a report. (c) Any ordinance proposed by initiative petition, adopted by the Council and approved by the Mayor, or adopted over the Mayor's veto, shall be subject to a referendary vote as provided in Section 460 in the same manner as other ordinances adopted by the Council. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Charter Amendment 1, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015; Subsec. (a), Charter Amendment E, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018; Subsec. (a), Charter Amendment EE, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018; Subsec. (b), Charter Amendment HH, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Los Angeles City Charter § 453 Action by Council on Initiative Petition Requesting Amendment or Repeal of Ordinance.

Sec. 453. Action by Council on Initiative Petition Requesting Amendment or Repeal of Ordinance. When an initiative petition requesting the submission of a proposed ordinance amending or repealing an ordinance previously adopted by a vote of the electors is presented to the Council by the City Clerk, the Council must act within 20 days of presentation to submit the proposed ordinance to a vote of the electors of the City as provided in Section 452(b)(2) or (3), unless the petition is withdrawn by the proponents. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Charter Amendment 1, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015.

Los Angeles City Charter § 454 Supporting and Opposing Arguments.

Sec. 454. Supporting and Opposing Arguments. Any person or persons filing an initiative petition or the person or organization on whose behalf the petition is filed, shall have the right to file with the City Clerk, within the time specified by ordinance, an argument favoring the proposed ordinance. The Council shall have the right to present, or permit to be presented and filed with the City Clerk within the same limit of time, an argument opposing the ordinance. Arguments supporting and opposing the ordinance proposed by initiative shall be submitted to the City Clerk and distributed to the voters in accordance with the requirements of the City Election Code. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Charter Amendment E, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018; Charter Amendment EE, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018.

Los Angeles City Charter § 455 Adoption of Ordinances by Initiative.

Sec. 455. Adoption of Ordinances by Initiative. If a majority, or other percentage as required by law, of the voters voting on any ordinance proposed by initiative petition vote in favor, the ordinance shall become an ordinance of the City upon the declaration by the Council of the result of the election.

Source: City of Los Angeles, Charter and Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/laac/0-0-0-1764Fetched: 10/24/2026