Water Code, 1943

An election contest must be brought within 20 days after the board of supervisors canvasses the votes and declares the result.

Either party to the record may appeal to the Supreme Court of this state within 30 days after entry of judgment.

The Supreme Court must hear and decide the appeal within 60 days after the notice of appeal is filed.

The district board must have 3, 5, or 7 members, and each director must meet the stated elector and residency requirements.

This section lets a local agency formation commission raise the board size of a consolidated or reorganized water conservation district, and lets the board decide by majority vote not to fill a vacancy in some cases.

Directors elected at the formation election must begin their duties after qualifying and remain in office until successors are elected and qualified.

Elected district directors must hold office under Elections Code Section 10505.

A director elected after the formation election serves a four-year term and stays in office until a successor is elected and qualified.

Board vacancies must be filled under Section 1780 of the Government Code.

A person elected or appointed as director must qualify by taking an official oath and filing a bond under Section 74206.

Each director must execute an official bond of $1,000 and file it, together with the official oath, with the secretary.

Official bonds must be in the form prescribed by law for county officers.

Each director is entitled to compensation of up to $100 per day, with a cap of six compensable days per calendar month, plus reimbursable expenses tied to board-authorized or required duties.

A seven-director water conservation district may reduce its board to five, but not within 180 days before a director election.

The directors must meet and organize as a board within the stated timing rules.

The board must manage and conduct the district’s business and affairs.

The board may establish its office at a proper place within or near the district, but once established, it cannot change the office location without notice.

The board must hold regular meetings at its office on the first Tuesday in March, June, September, and December, and it may hold special meetings when needed. If it finds good cause, it may increase the number and frequency of regular meetings by resolution.

The board may change the day and place of regular meetings by resolution, but notice of the change must be published weekly for two consecutive weeks before the meeting in a newspaper circulated in the district.

Special meetings can be ordered by the president or a majority of board members, the order must be entered in the board minutes, the secretary must mail three days’ notice to non-joining members, and only the business stated in the order may be taken up.

The board must keep all of its meetings open to the public.

A majority of the board members is required to make a quorum for board business.

The secretary must keep a minute of all board proceedings.

A district may destroy a record if it follows Chapter 7 of the Government Code provision referenced here.

The board must each year prepare and file a verified statement about the district’s financial condition.

At each organization meeting, the board must elect a president from among its members and appoint a secretary.

The secretary does not have to be one of the directors.

The board fixes the secretary’s salary and the bond amount required for faithful performance of duties.

The secretary’s bond must be recorded in the principal county recorder’s office and then filed with the district.

The board of directors must adjust division boundaries by resolution.

Before changing district boundaries under Section 74430, the board must give notice and state the proposed changes plus a hearing time and place.

Before a hearing on changing division boundaries, the required notice must be published weekly for two weeks in newspapers in each affected county. At the hearing, the board must hear objections and petitions, and then may change the division boundaries if it finds the change is in the district’s best interests.

If land is excluded from a district, the board may reestablish division and precinct boundaries within the district, but only at least 30 days before an election.

If land is added to a district, the board must reset division and precinct boundaries at least 30 days before an election. People living on land added less than 30 days before the election may not vote in that election.

If another district is annexed, the annexing district’s board must reset the district and election-precinct boundaries as provided by Section 74434.

This chapter applies only to districts within Ventura County.

Districts within Ventura County are generally governed by this division, except where this chapter provides otherwise.

The board membership and division structure of a district may be changed as this chapter allows.

A district change may be started by the board through a resolution or by a petition signed by at least 5% of the district’s electors.

When district divisions are based on population, each division must be substantially equal in population, and the district-wide population balance rules and 2-to-1 size limit must also be met.

After a change is initiated, the board must submit a report to the board of supervisors within 60 days.

The board of supervisors may change recommended division boundaries within 40 days after receiving the board’s report, if the change follows the resolution or petition and this chapter, and it must set a hearing date and place 30 to 60 days later.

The clerk of the board of supervisors must publish notice of the hearing within the district and include required details about the district divisions and proposed boundaries.

The board of supervisors must hear interested persons, can adjourn the hearing, and may revise proposed district boundaries before issuing an order for a special election, unless the redivision only changes division boundaries based on population.

The district redivision election must follow the same rules as district-formation elections where applicable, use a ballot containing the required wording, and the redivision or director-number change takes effect only if a majority votes yes.

If the redivision is approved, directors filling vacancies in the new divisions must be nominated and elected at the same election, and an incumbent director-candidate may use “Incumbent” on the ballot.

After voters approve a district redivision, the directors must classify themselves as needed under Section 74202.

The board of supervisors may appoint up to two district electors as temporary additional directors if it acts after the Section 74466 order, before the redivision election, and finds the appointment is in the public interest.

A district may have perpetual succession and may adopt and alter a seal.

A district may make contracts and take necessary acts to fully exercise its powers.

A district may hire engineers and attorneys if the board considers them necessary or advisable to carry out the district’s purposes.

A district may hire people and equipment when its board considers that appropriate, to carry out work the district considers necessary or advisable for its purposes.