Oil wells
Credit: BLM

February 11, 2023 - SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. has announced that a referendum has qualified for the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.

In order to qualify for the ballot, the referendum needed 623,212 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2018 General Election.

The Attorney General's official title and summary of the referendum is as follows:

REFERENDUM CHALLENGING 2022 LAW PROHIBITING NEW OIL AND GAS WELLS NEAR HOMES, SCHOOLS, AND HOSPITALS. If the required number of registered voters sign this petition and it is timely filed, a 2022 law will not take effect unless approved at the next statewide general or special election after November 8, 2022. The challenged law:

• Prohibits most new or modified oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of specified locations, including housing, schools, daycares, parks, healthcare facilities, community resource centers, detention facilities, and businesses open to the public.
• Requires existing wells in these areas meet specified health, safety, and environmental requirements by January 1, 2025.

The proponent of the referendum is Jerome Reedy. He can be reached c/o Kurt R. Oneto of Nielsen Merksamer LLP. The address for Nielsen Merksamer LLP is 1415 L Street, Suite 1200, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent can also be reached at (916) 446-6752.

For more information about how a referendum qualifies for the ballot in California, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/referendum.
Source: CA. SOS