*The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider*
AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: January 20, 2026
Agenda Item # 11
City Manager Approval: TW
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Sophia Meyer, City Attorney
SUBJECT: A Resolution of the Red Bluff City Council (1) Calling an Election on a Ballot Measure to Ask the Voters of the City of Red Bluff, California, Whether to Pass a Street Repair and Safety Measure Special Tax; (2) Requesting the Board of Supervisors of Tehama County to Consolidate a Municipal Election on a Local Measure with Other Elections to be Held on the June 2, 2026, Consolidated Election Date; (3) Requesting the Tehama County Board of Supervisors to Permit the Tehama County Elections Official to Render Election Services to the City; and (4) Approving the Proposed Ordinance
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
Recommend adopting resolution 01-2026 to consolidate the municipal election on the Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative with other elections to be held on the June 2, 2026 consolidated election date and request the Tehama County Board of Supervisors permit the Tehama County Elections Official to render election services to the City.
SUMMARY:
If the Council approves the Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative Measure at the Council meeting on January 20, 2026, then this item requests that the Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative, which establishes a one percent retail transaction and use tax for a period of 12-years to be placed on the ballot for the June 2, 2026 consolidated election.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
The City Council requested consolidation of the City's Local Street Repair and Safety Measure at the August 6, 2024, City Council Meeting.
DISCUSSION:
This item requests that the proposed Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative be placed on the ballot of a consolidated election and that the Tehama County Board of Supervisors permit the County Elections Official to render election services to the City.
*The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider* CITY FISCAL IMPACT:
Ballot measures generally cost around $5,000 to $8,000, depending on the materials.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Endorsements Redacted
*The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider* CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 1-2026
A RESOLUTION OF THE RED BLUFF CITY COUNCIL (1) CALLING AN ELECTION
ON A BALLOT MEASURE TO ASK THE VOTERS OF THE CITY OF RED BLUFF,
CALIFORNIA, WHETHER TO PASS A STREET REPAIR AND SAFETY MEASURE SPECIAL TAX; (2) REQUESTING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF TEHAMA
COUNTY TO CONSOLIDATE A MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON A LOCAL MEASURE WITH OTHER ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON THE JUNE 2, 2026, CONSOLIDATED ELECTION DATE; (3) REQUESTING THE TEHAMA COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS TO PERMIT THE TEHAMA COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICIAL TO RENDER ELECTION SERVICES TO THE CITY; AND (4) APPROVING THE
PROPOSED ORDINANCE
THE CITY OF RED BLUFF CITY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE THAT:
WHEREAS, the City has resolved to place the Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative Measure ____ on the next primary election; and WHEREAS, the City’s next election will be held on June 2, 2026, and the City wishes to submit to the voters Measure _____.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Red Bluff as follows:
Section 1. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 36508 and Resolution No. 1-2026, the City Council has called for a primary election to be held on June 2, 2026, and orders that the following question be submitted to the voters at such election:
Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative. Shall the measure providing Red Bluff funding to fix potholes; maintain and repair deteriorating local streets and roads; reduce expensive future repairs; improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, disabled residents, including safe routes to children's school; and make the City eligible for state/ federal matching funds, by establishing a locally controlled 1-cent sales tax providing approximately $5,100,000 annually for 12-years; requiring independent audits and public disclosure, be adopted?
Yes
No
Section 2. That the proposed measure submitted to the voters shall read:
Street Safety, Maintenance, and Road Tax Citizen Initiative. Shall the measure providing Red Bluff funding to fix potholes; maintain and repair deteriorating local streets and roads; reduce expensive future repairs; improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, disabled residents, including safe routes to children's school; and make the City eligible for state/ federal matching funds, by establishing a locally controlled 1-cent sales tax providing approximately $5,100,000 annually for 12-years; requiring independent audits and public disclosure, be adopted?
Section 3. That the vote requirement for the measure to pass is 50% plus 1 of the votes cast.
*The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider* Section 4. That the Red Bluff Street Repair and Safety Measure, which shall establish and implement a retail transaction and use tax of one cent for a period of 12 years is expected to raise $5,100,000.
Section 5. Pursuant to Elections Code Sections 10002 and 10403 and other applicable authority, the City Council hereby requests the Tehama County Board of Supervisors and the Tehama County Elections Official to: (a) consolidate the election on this City Measure with, and place it upon the same ballot as that provided for, the primary election scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026; and (b) perform election services relating to the vote on the City proposition in accordance with City of Red Bluff Resolution No. 1- 2026 requesting election services on behalf of the City for the June 2, 2026, election, which resolution was adopted by the City Council on January 20, 2026 and is being forwarded to the County.
Section 6. The City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed forthwith to file certified copies of this resolution with the Tehama County Board of Supervisors and the Tehama County Clerk and Registrar of Voters.
Section 7. That pursuant to Elections Code Section 9280, the City Council hereby directs the City Clerk to transmit a copy of the Ordinance to the City Attorney to prepare an impartial analysis of the Ordinance, which shall not exceed 500 words in length.
Section 8. That pursuant to Elections Code Section 9282, the Initiative Proponents may file a written argument in favor of the Ordinance in accordance with Article 4, Chapter 3, Division 9 of the Elections Code and may change the argument as allowed by law.
Section 9. That pursuant to Elections Code Section 9287, if more than one argument for or more than one argument against the Ordinance is submitted to the City Clerk within the time prescribed by law, she shall select one of the arguments in favor and one of the arguments against the Ordinance for printing and distribution to the voters, giving preference in such selection in the following order:
1. The City Council, or a member or members of the City Council authorized by the City Council.
2. Bona fide associations of citizens.
3. Individual voters who are eligible to vote on the Ordinance.
Section10. That pursuant to Elections Code Section 9285, when the City Clerk has selected the arguments for and against the Ordinance which will be printed and distributed to the voters, the City Clerk shall send copies of the argument in favor of the Ordinance to the author or authors of the argument against, and copies of the argument against the Ordinance to the author or authors of the argument in favor. The author or authors may submit a rebuttal argument to the direct argument not exceeding 250 words. Rebuttal arguments shall be printed in the same manner as the direct arguments and shall immediately follow the direct argument which it seeks to rebut. All previous resolutions providing for the filing of rebuttal arguments for City measures are *The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider* repealed, and this Section shall only apply to the election on the Ordinance to be held on June 2, 2026.
Section 11. In accordance with Section 10002 of the Elections Code, the Board of Supervisors of Tehama County is hereby requested to consent to the Tehama County Clerk and Registrar of Voters rendering election services to the City as may be requested by the City Clerk of said City, the County of Tehama to be reimbursed in full for such services as are performed. The Board of Supervisors of Tehama County is also requested to consent and agree to the consolidation of the primary election with any other election occurring on June 2, 2026, and the City hereby consents to any such consolidation.
Section 12. The election services which the City requests of the Tehama County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, or such other official as may be appropriate to perform, and which such officer is hereby authorized and directed to perform if the said Board of Supervisors consents, include: the preparation, printing and mailing of sample ballots and polling place cards, the establishment or appointment of precincts, polling places, and election officers, opening and closing of polling places, and making such publications as are required by law in connection therewith; the furnishing of ballots, voting booths and other necessary supplies or materials for polling places, the canvassing of the returns of the election and the furnishing of the results of such canvassing to the City Clerk, and the performance of such other election services as may be requested by said City Clerk.
Section 13. The polls for the election shall be open at seven o’clock a.m. of the day of the election and shall remain open continuously from that time until eight o'clock p.m. of the same day when the polls shall be closed, pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10242 and Section 14212, except as provided in California Elections Code Section 14401 or any other provision of law.
Section 14. All persons qualified to vote at municipal elections in the City on the day of the election herein provided for shall be qualified to vote on the Ordinance hereby submitted at the primary election.
Section 15. In all particulars not recited in this Resolution, the election shall be held and conducted as provided by law for holding primary election in the City.
Section 16. Notice of the time and place of holding the primary election is given and the City Clerk is authorized, instructed and directed to give further or additional notice of the election, in time, form and manner as required by law.
Section 17. The City Clerk shall receive the canvass as it pertains to the primary election, and shall certify the results to this City Council, as required by law.
Section 18. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or provision of this Resolution or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of any other provision or applications, and to this end the provisions of this Resolution are declared to be severable. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Resolution and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or provision thereof, irrespective of the fact that *The City of Red Bluff is an Equal Opportunity Provider* any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or provisions thereof be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
Section 19. Pursuant to California Elections Code section 9295, this Resolution will be available for public examination for no fewer than ten (10) calendar days prior to being submitted for printing in the sample ballot. The examination period will end on the day that is seventy-five (75) days prior to the date set for the election.
Section 20. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by a majority vote of all of the members of the City Council.
Section 21. The City Clerk of the City of Red Bluff is hereby directed to certify to the passage and adoption of this Resolution and to file a certified copy of this Resolution with the Board of Supervisors of Tehama County and the Registrar of Voters of Tehama County at least eighty-eight (88) days before the date of the election.
Section 22. The City Clerk and other City officers and employees are hereby authorized and directed to take all other actions that are necessary to have the City’s proposition properly submitted to the City voters at the June 2, 2026, election.
PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Red Bluff on this 20th day of January 2026, by the following votes:
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Patrick Hurton, Councilmember
SECONDER: Kris Deiters, Councilmember
AYES: Cassie Pope, Patrick Hurton, Kris Deiters, Mark Clement EXCUSED: Jr Gonzales
Mayor
ATTEST:
Deputy City Clerk