SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) There exists a vacancy in the office of State Senator for the 26th Senatorial District, located entirely in Los Angeles County.
(2) The City of Los Angeles has a primary nominating election scheduled for March 3, 2009, and a general municipal election scheduled for May 19, 2009.
(3) Existing provisions of the Elections Code generally require a special primary election to fill a vacancy to occur on the eighth Tuesday before the special election to fill that vacancy, unless that eighth Tuesday is the day after a state holiday, in which case the special primary election is to occur on the ninth Tuesday before the special election. However, there are 11 weeks between the Los Angeles City primary nominating election and its general municipal election.
(4) It will cost Los Angeles County approximately two million three hundred forty-three thousand dollars ($2,343,000) to conduct each stand-alone election for the special primary election and special election to fill the vacancy in the office of State Senator for the 26th Senatorial District, for a total of four million six hundred eighty-six thousand dollars ($4,686,000).
(5) If Los Angeles County consolidates its special elections with the City of Los Angeles municipal elections, the cost for each election will be approximately seven hundred ninety-two thousand dollars ($792,000), for a total cost of one million five hundred eighty-four thousand dollars ($1,584,000). As a result, the total savings for Los Angeles County to conduct two special elections consolidated with two City of Los Angeles municipal elections will be approximately three million one hundred two thousand dollars ($3,102,000).
(6) The cost savings to Los Angeles County related to these elections will enable the county to use these moneys to respond to other demands on county services. Many of these other county services are funded, in part, by contributions from the state. This act will assist the county and the state to address their respective fiscal problems as part of the 2007–08 Fourth Extraordinary Session declared by the Governor to respond to the fiscal emergency in this state.
(b) Notwithstanding Sections 10703 and 10704 of the Elections Code, Los Angeles County shall conduct a special primary election on March 3, 2009, and, if necessary, conduct a special election on May 19, 2009, to fill the vacancy in the office of State Senator for the 26th Senatorial District. Los Angeles County may consolidate its special primary election and its special election with the City of Los Angeles primary nominating election on March 3, 2009, and the general municipal election on May 19, 2009.