The California Court of Appeal for the Second Judicial District has held that a city council could place an initiative on the ballot that sought to repeal a previous initiative that precluded the city council from adopting a mobile home rent control ordinance, and that the initiative the Council sought to repeal did not mandate that only city voters could initiate an amendment or repeal of the initiative. [Brookside Investments, LTD. v. City of El Monte, ___Cal.App.5th___, Case No. B267081 (2nd Dist. Nov. 15, 2016).]

This case is significant because it reinforces the broad scope of the local initiative power and a city council’s right to propose initiatives to the electorate absent an explicit prohibition on doing so. The court’s decision is accessible online at: https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4824795899899003455&q=Brookside+Investments,+LTD.+v.+City+of+El+Monte&hl=en&as_sdt=2006&as_vis=1

(Alex DeGood)