§27.0103 Definitions
For purposes of this Article, defined terms appear in italics. The following definitions apply in this Article:
Ballot materials means those items defined in section 27.0103, which may be printed on the ballot or in the voter pamphlet or online on the City’s website or the website of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, in accordance with the requirements of this Article, relating to measures or candidates.
(a) For ballot measures, ballot materials include the ordinance placing the measure on the ballot, which contains the ballot question and the full text of the measure to be voted upon at the election. They also include the ballot title and summary, if any; the impartial analysis, if any; the fiscal impact analysis; and arguments for and against the measure, if any.
(b) For candidate elections, ballot materials include the ordinance placing the names of the candidates on the ballot, the ballot designation of the candidate, and the statement of the candidate’s qualifications.
Ballot question means the condensed statement of a measure being submitted to the voters, as that statement appears on the ballot. The ballot question shall be phrased as a question.
Board of Education Election means an election of the governing board of the San Diego Unified School District, also referred to as the Board of Education and includes Board of Education General Elections and Board of Education Primary Elections.
Board of Education General Election means an election at which members of the governing board of the San Diego Unified School District, also referred to as the Board of Education, are elected. Board of Education General Election may also include a special election to fill a vacancy. Board of Education General Elections are held at the same time as Municipal General Elections, as referenced in San Diego Charter section 66.
Board of Education Primary Election means an election at which members of the governing board of the San Diego Unified School District, also referred to as the Board of Education, are nominated for the Board of Education General Election. Board of Education Primary Elections are held at the same time as Municipal Primary Elections, as referenced in San Diego Charter section 66.
Board of Supervisors means the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Diego.
Candidate means any individual who:
(a) is listed on the ballot for elective City office;
(b) has begun to circulate nominating petitions or authorized another person to do so on their behalf for nomination for or election to a City office;
(c) has received a contribution or made an expenditure or authorized another person to receive a contribution or make an expenditure with the intent to bring about their nomination for or election to any City office; or
(d) is a City elective officer who becomes the subject of a recall or removal election.
(1) A City elective officer becomes the subject of a recall election on the date a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition is published under the recall provisions of this Article.
(2) A City elective officer becomes the subject of a removal election on the date the Council adopts an ordinance calling a special election for the purpose of submitting to the voters a proposition to remove and replace the City elective officer.
Circulator is an individual who is at least 18 years old and a United States Citizen and who gathers signatures on a nominating, initiative, referendary, or recall petition, including an individual who gathers signatures on a Charter amendment petition.
Citywide General Election means either of the following:
(a) the election at which the Mayor, City Attorney, and Councilmembers are elected, unless such officers are elected at the Citywide Primary Election because the candidate was the sole qualified candidate for the office in the Citywide Primary Election; or
(b) a citywide municipal election consolidated with the statewide election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year.
Citywide General Election has the same meaning as “general municipal election,”as that term is used in the Charter.
Citywide Primary Election means the election at which the Mayor, City Attorney, and Councilmembers are nominated, or elected if a candidate was the sole qualified candidate for the office in the Citywide Primary Election. Citywide Primary Election has the same meaning as “municipal primary election,” as that term is used in the Charter.
City Clerk means the City Clerk of the City of San Diego. The City Clerk is the elections official of the City.
Council has the same meaning as in San Diego Municipal Code section 11.0210. District General Election means an election, under Charter section 10, at which Council candidates are elected, unless such officers are elected at the District Primary Election because a candidate was the sole qualified candidate for the office in the District Primary Election.
District Primary Election means an election, under Charter section 10, at which Council candidates are nominated, or elected if a candidate was the sole qualified candidate for the office in the District Primary Election.
Election means a District Primary Election, Citywide Primary Election, District General Election, Citywide General Election, or a special election held in the City of San Diego.
Elective office or elective officer mean the office of the Mayor, Councilmember, or City Attorney of the City of San Diego. Elective office and elective officer may include the office of a member of the governing board of the San Diego Unified School District.
Enforcement Authority means the City of San Diego Ethics Commission. Nothing in this Article limits the authority of the City Attorney, the Fair Political Practices Commission, any law enforcement agency, or any prosecuting attorney to enforce the provisions of this Article under any circumstances where the City Attorney, the Fair Political Practices Commission, law enforcement agency, or prosecuting attorney otherwise has lawful authority to do so.
Measure means any Charter amendment or proposition which is:
(a) submitted to a popular vote at an election by Council action; or
(b) submitted or intended to be submitted to a popular vote at an election by the procedure of initiative or referendum whether or not it qualifies for the ballot. Measure and proposition mean the same thing in this Article.
Occupation means the employment in which one regularly engages or follows as the means of making a livelihood, as set forth in title 2, section 20714 of the California Code of Regulations, as may be amended.
Person has the same meaning as in San Diego Municipal Code section 11.0210.
Petition means one or more documents seeking action by the Council or some officer. Petition includes a nominating, initiative, referendary, or recall petition. Pre-election notice means the Notice of Election, Notice of Nominees, and Notice of Measures to be Voted On.
Principal means a substantial involvement of time and effort such that the activity is one of the primary, main, or leading professions, vocations, or occupations of the candidate, as set forth in title 2, section 20714 of the California Code of Regulations, as may be amended. Principal does not include any activity which does not entail a significant involvement on the part of the candidate or is nominal, pro forma, or titular in nature.
Profession means a field of employment requiring special education or skill and knowledge of a particular discipline, as set forth in title 2, section 20714 of the California Code of Regulations, as may be amended. The labor and skill involved in a profession is predominantly mental or intellectual, rather than physical or manual. Professions generally include employment in the law, medicine, education, engineering, accountancy, and journalism.
Proponent means the person who proposes an initiative, referendary, or recall petition and who has control of the circulation and filing of the petition with the City Clerk. Proponent includes a person who proposes a Charter amendment petition.
Registrar means the Registrar of Voters of the County of San Diego, or a duly appointed deputy.
Special election means any election other than a District Primary Election, Citywide Primary Election, District General Election, or Citywide General Election. Special election has the same meaning as “special municipal election,” as that term is used in the Charter. Special election includes all elections to consider ballot measures as well as elections to fill vacancies in elective office, recall and removal elections, and run-off special elections. Run-off special election has the same meaning as special run-off election as that term is used in the Charter.
Vocation means a trade, a religious calling, or the work upon which a person, in most but not all cases, relies on for their livelihood and spends a majority of their time, as set forth in title 2, section 20714 of the California Code of Regulations, as may be amended. Vocations may include religious ministry, child rearing, homemaking, elderly and dependent care, and engaging in trades such as carpentry, cabinetmaking, plumbing, and the like.
Voter means an elector who is qualified and entitled to vote under general law in elections and who is validly registered, or conditionally registered as set forth in title 2, sections 20020 through 20026 of the California Code of Regulations, as may be amended, at the time they seek to exercise the right to vote.
Voter Pamphlet means the voter information pamphlet compiled and distributed with the sample ballot for each election.
Write-in candidate means an individual who is not listed on the Citywide Primary Election or District Primary Election ballot, or a special election ballot to fill a vacancy, and files candidate nomination papers during the nomination period for write-in candidates.
(Amended 2-11-2002 by O-19034 N.S.)
(Amended 5-5-2017 by O-20820 N.S.; effective 6-4-2017.)
(Amended 6-15-2017 by O-20833 N.S.; effective 7-15-2017.)
(Amended 11-20-2018 by O-21009 N.S.; effective 12-20-2018.)
(Amended 6-27-2023 by O-21667 N.S.; effective 7-27-2023.)
(Amended 1-12-2026 by O-22028 N.S.; effective 2-11-2026.)
(Amended 9-2-2026 by O-22137 N.S.; effective 10-2-2026.)
