(a) Any petitioner or legislative body desiring to initiate proceedings shall submit an application to the executive officer of the principal county.

(b) (1) Immediately after receiving an application and before issuing a certificate of filing, the executive officer shall give mailed notice that the application has been received to each affected local agency, the county committee on school district organization, and each school superintendent whose school district overlies the affected territory. The notice shall generally describe the application and the affected territory. The executive officer shall not be required to give notice pursuant to this subdivision if a local agency has already given notice pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 56654.

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(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that an application for incorporation or disincorporation shall be processed in a timely manner. With regard to an application that includes an incorporation or disincorporation, the executive officer shall immediately notify all affected local agencies and any applicable state agencies by mail and request the affected agencies to submit the required data to the commission within a reasonable timeframe established by the executive officer. Each affected agency shall respond to the executive officer within 15 days acknowledging receipt of the request. Each affected local agency and the officers and departments thereof shall submit the required data to the executive officer within the timelines established by the executive officer. Each affected state agency and the officers and departments thereof shall submit the required data to the executive officer within the timelines agreed upon by the executive officer and the affected state departments.

(3) If a special district is, or as a result of a proposal will be, located in more than one county, the executive officer of the principal county shall immediately give the executive officer of each other affected county mailed notice that the application has been received. The notice shall generally describe the proposal and the affected territory.

(c) Except when a commission is the lead agency pursuant to § 21067 of the Public Resources Code, the executive officer shall determine within 30 days of receiving an application whether the application is complete and acceptable for filing or whether the application is incomplete.

(d) (1) If applicable, the executive officer shall not accept for filing an application for a change of organization or reorganization and issue a certificate of filing pursuant to subdivision (f) and an application shall not be deemed accepted for filing pursuant to subdivision (e) if an agreement for the exchange of property tax revenues has not been adopted pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) or subdivision (d) of § 99 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(2) The executive officer shall not accept an application for filing and issue a certificate of filing for at least 20 days after giving the mailed notice required by subdivision (b). The executive officer shall not be required to comply with this subdivision in the case of an application which meets the requirements of Section 56662 or in the case of an application for which a local agency has already given notice pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 56654.

(e) If the appropriate fees have been paid, an application shall be deemed accepted for filing if no determination has been made by the executive officer within the 30-day period. An executive officer shall accept for filing, and file, any application submitted in the form prescribed by the commission and containing all of the information and data required pursuant to Section 56652.

(f) When an application is accepted for filing, the executive officer shall immediately issue a certificate of filing to the applicant. A certificate of filing shall be in the form prescribed by the executive officer and shall specify the date upon which the proposal shall be heard by the commission. From the date of issuance of a certificate of filing, or the date upon which an application is deemed to have been accepted, whichever is earlier, an application shall be deemed filed pursuant to this division.

(g) If an application is determined not to be complete, the executive officer shall immediately transmit that determination to the applicant specifying those parts of the application which are incomplete and the manner in which they can be made complete.

(h) Following the issuance of the certificate of filing, the executive officer shall proceed to set the proposal for hearing and give published notice thereof as provided in this part. The date of the hearing shall be not more than 90 days after issuance of the certificate of filing or after the application is deemed to have been accepted, whichever is earlier. Notwithstanding Section 56106, the date for conducting the hearing, as determined pursuant to this subdivision, is mandatory.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 25, Sec. 1. (AB 1753) Effective January 1, 2024.)