Monrovia Rejects Tax-Cut Measure Petition

Monrovia City Clerk Alice Atkins has rejected a petition to put a tax-cut measure on the city ballot due to the circulator's "failure to include on the petitions a copy of the Notice of Intention as required by Elections Code Section 9207."
 
The Star-News quotes (http://goo.gl/MZ9c) John Jogminas, the author of the Monrovia tax-cut measure, as saying the 591-signature petition to put the measure on the ballot was thrown out "on a technicality" and that he had asked the City Attorney to review the measure before it was circulated and the city rejected that request.
 
The city's press release confirms that the city refused to review the petition prior to circulation, and adds that the Municipal Law Handbook, published by the League of California Cities, says, "Compliance with statutory requirements is the responsibility of the initiative proponent. It is not the responsibility of the city attorney to advise the proponent or correct the proponent's errors...."
 
Here's the city's press release: http://goo.gl/LXYQ
 
- Brad Haugaard