(a) In connection with each bond issue specified in Section 9400, a statement shall be mailed to the voters with the sample ballot for the bond election. The statement required by this section shall be filed with the elections official conducting the election not later than the 88th day before the election, and shall include all of the following:

(1) The best estimate from official sources of the average annual tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund that bond issue over the entire duration of the bond debt service, based on assessed valuations available at the time of the election or a projection based on experience within the same jurisdiction or other demonstrable factors. The estimate shall also identify the final fiscal year in which the tax is anticipated to be collected.

Terms Used In California Elections Code 9401

  • Election: means any election including a primary that is provided for under this code. See California Elections Code 318
  • Elections official: means any of the following:

    California Elections Code 320

  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.

(2) The best estimate from official sources of the highest tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund that bond issue, and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply, based on assessed valuations available at the time of the election or a projection based on experience within the same jurisdiction or other demonstrable factors.

(3) The best estimate from official sources of the total debt service, including the principal and interest, that would be required to be repaid if all the bonds are issued and sold. The estimate may include information about the assumptions used to determine the estimate.

(b) In addition, the statement may contain a declaration of policy of the legislative or governing body of the applicable jurisdiction, proposing to use revenues other than ad valorem taxes to fund the bond issue, and the best estimate from official sources of these revenues and the reduction in the tax rate levied to fund the bond issue resulting from the substitution of revenue.

(c) For purposes of this chapter, “tax rate” means tax rate per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of assessed valuation on all property to be taxed to fund a bond issue described in Section 9400.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 720, Sec. 1. (SB 798) Effective January 1, 2024.)