Long Beach : Ordinance Establishes $200 Fee for Council Candidates
Twenty signatures on a nominating petition will no longer be enough to make you a City Council candidate in Long Beach. Under an ordinance passed this week by the council, candidates for elected office also must pay a $200 filing fee to get on the ballot.
The measure, passed to discourage frivolous candidates, allows those who do not have the money to provide additional signatures in lieu of the filing fee. Each extra signature would be worth $1.
According to a survey conducted by the council’s staff, most other cities of similar size in California either do not require a fee or have a much smaller one. San Diego, however, does require a $200 fee, along with 200 signatures.
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