Central Committee

Republican Party of Santa Cruz County - Central Commitee

A county central committee is the official political organization within the county.

The committee performs duties that are prescribed by law and does all things necessary to carry on a full-time, aggressive, party program.

California law provides for the election of a county central committee at every direct primary for each legal political party.

A candidate for a county central committee must file nomination papers with 20 to 30 local signatures, whereupon his name is placed on the primary ballot to be voted on by members registered in his party within his own assembly district. Term of office is two years, service is without pay, and the committee usually levies annual dues upon its members.

Each committee holds a biennial organization meeting. Republicans meet the first Monday after the first day in January following the direct primary, and the Democrats meet the second Monday. At those times they elect a chairman and other officers and committees it deems necessary and adopts rules or by-laws.

In counties with 20 or more assembly districts such as Los Angeles, each assembly district central committee consists of seven members. In counties which contain less than 20 yet more than 4 assembly districts, each assembly district central committee is comprised of six members. For counties which have four or less assembly districts, a complex mathematical formula based on supervisorial districts and election returns determines the number of central committee members. In San Francisco, which is both a City and County, there are eight members elected from each assembly district or portion thereof. In addition to regular members there are also ex-officio members.

Ex-officio members include nominees or incumbents for state senate and assembly, and nominees or incumbents of each of the following offices in the county in which they reside: Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Member of State Board of Equalization, and Senator and Representative in Congress from California. Ex-officio members have all privileges including the right to vote in the central committee.

The committees may remove any member other than an ex- officio for several causes: Affiliation with or registration in another party; public advocacy that voters should not vote for a nominee of the party for any office; or giving support or avowal of a preference for a candidate of another party or a candidate who is opposed to a candidate nominated by the party. Missed meetings may also cause removal.

A member moving from the assembly district from which elected or appointed must automatically resign from the committee.

Vacancies between elections due to death, ineligibility or resignations are filled by appointment and voted approval by the remaining members of the assembly district central committee.

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