Town of Los Gatos Office of the Town Council*

The Civil Grand Jury finds that in the current environment, which is unregulated at the local level, it is easy for the author of a ballot measure question to write the question in a way that is confusing or misleading to voters. Response: The Town partially agrees with this Finding. The Town agrees with the portion of the Finding stating that ballot measure questions can be confusing or misleading. The Grand Jury Report itself provides two examples of this Finding. However, with regard to local ballot measures, the Town disagrees with the finding that ballot measures are unregulated. The California Elections Code clearly sets the expectation that ballot materials should be true and impartial in a manner that does not create prejudice or serve as an argument for or against the proposed measure. In city government, ballot questions are prepared by the city attorney and the city attorney is responsible for drafting ballot questions that are clear to voters. Ballot measures and ballot questions are reviewed at Town Council meetings before submission to the County Registrar of Voters, which provides the community with a direct opportunity to comment on the proposed wording.