The Legislative Analyst shall prepare an impartial analysis of the measure describing the measure and including a fiscal analysis of the measure showing the amount of any increase or decrease in revenue or cost to state or local government. Any estimate of increased cost to local governments shall be set out in boldface print in the ballot pamphlet. The analysis shall be written in clear and concise terms which will easily be understood by the average voter, and shall avoid the use of technical terms wherever possible. The analysis may contain background information, including the effect of the measure on existing law and the effect of enacted legislation which will become effective if the measure is adopted, and shall generally set forth in an impartial manner the information which the average voter needs to understand the measure adequately. The Legislative Analyst may contract with professional writers, educational specialists, or other persons for assistance in writing an analysis that fulfills the requirements of this section, including the requirement that the analysis be written so that it will be easily understood by the average voter. The Legislative Analyst may also request the assistance of any state department, agency, or official in preparing the Legislative Analyst’s analysis. Prior to submission of the analysis to the Secretary of State, the Legislative Analyst shall submit the analysis to a committee of five persons appointed by the Legislative Analyst for the purpose of reviewing the analysis to confirm its clarity and easy comprehension to the average voter. The committee shall be drawn from the public at large, and one member shall be a specialist in education, one shall be bilingual, and one shall be a professional writer. Members of the committee shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in performing their duties. Within five days of the submission of the analysis to the committee, the committee shall make such recommendations to the Legislative Analyst as it deems appropriate to guarantee that the analysis can be easily understood by the average voter. The Legislative Analyst shall consider the committee’s recommendations, and the Legislative Analyst shall incorporate in the analysis those changes recommended by the committee that the Legislative Analyst deems to be appropriate. The Legislative Analyst is solely responsible for determining the content of the analysis required by this section. The title and summary of any measure which appears on the ballot shall be amended to contain a summary of the Legislative Analyst’s estimate of the net state and local government financial impact. For state bond measures that are submitted to the voters for their approval or rejection, the summary of the Legislative Analyst’s estimate of the net state and local government fiscal impact shall include an explanatory table of the information in the summary.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 220. (AB 378) Effective January 1, 2022. Note: This section was added on June 4, 1974, by initiative Prop. 9.)