Initiative, Referendum and Recall

San Diego City Charter § 23

in effect

Section 23: Initiative, Referendum and Recall The right to recall municipal officers and the powers of the initiative and referendum are hereby reserved to the people of the City. Ordinances may be initiated; and referendum may be exercised on any ordinance passed by the Council except an ordinance which by the provisions of this Charter takes effect immediately upon its passage; and any elective officer may be recalled from office. The Council shall include in the election code ordinance required to be adopted by Section 8, Article II, of this charter, an expeditious and complete procedure for the exercise by the people of the initiative, referendum and recall, including forms of petitions; provided that the number of signatures necessary on petitions for the initiation of an ordinance for the consideration of the Council shall be three percent of the registered voters of the City at the last general City election; that for the direct submission of a measure to the people it shall require a petition signed by ten per cent of the registered voters of the City at the last general City election; that for a referendum upon an ordinance passed by the Council it shall require a petition signed by five per cent of the registered voters of the City at the last general election; and that for the recall of an elected officer who is elected by all of the electors of the City, it shall require a petition signed by fifteen per cent of the registered voters of the City at the last general City election; and that for the recall of a Council member other than the Mayor it shall require a petition signed by fifteen percent of the registered voters of the Councilmanic District at the last general City election. Initiative measures and referendum measures that qualify for the ballot after the people’s petition process, and in compliance with provisions of this Charter and the City’s Election Code Ordinance, shall be submitted to the electorate at a Municipal Special Election consolidated with the next City-wide Municipal General Election ballot on which the measures legally can be placed, or at a City-wide Municipal Special Election held prior to that general election. Submission of such measures to a general election ballot shall be considered to meet the Charter requirement of an expeditious procedure for the people’s exercise of their constitutionally reserved powers of initiative and referendum. All other municipal ballot measures may be submitted to the electorate at a Municipal Special Election that may be consolidated with the next City-wide Municipal Primary Election or Municipal General Election, or at any City-wide special election held for that purpose. Charter amendment measures and the timing of their submission to the electorate are governed by California law. (Amendment voted 04-22-1941; effective 05-08-1941.) (Amendment voted 11-08-1988; effective 04-03-1989.) (Amendment voted 11-08-2016; effective 12-19-2016.)

Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%20III.pdf#page=6Fetched: 10/28/2026