county or counties from which such territory shall be taken. [Amendment adopted November 8, 1910.]

SEC. 4. The Legislature shall establish a system of county governments, which shall be uniform throughout the State; and by general laws shall provide for township organization, under which any county may organize whenever a majority of the qualified electors of such county, voting at a general election, shall so determine; and whenever a county shall adopt township organization, the assessment and collection of the revenue shall be made, and the business of such county and the local affairs of the several townships therein shall be managed and transacted, in the manner prescribed by such general laws.

SEC. 5. The Legislature, by general and uniform laws, shall provide for the election or appointment, in the several counties, of Boards of Supervisors, Sheriffs, County Clerks, District Attorneys, and such other county, township, and municipal officers as public convenience may require, and shall prescribe their duties and fix their terms of office. It shall regulate the compensation of all such officers, in proportion to duties, and may also establish fees to be charged and collected by such officers for services performed in their respective offices, in the manner and for the uses provided by law, and for this purpose may classify the counties by population; and it shall provide for the strict accountability of county and township officers for all fees which may be collected by them, and for all public and municipal moneys which may be paid to them, or officially come into their possession. It may regulate the compensation of grand and trial jurors in all courts within the classes of counties herein permitted to be made; such compensation, however, shall not, in any class, exceed the sum of three dollars per day and mileage. [Amendment adopted November 3, 1908.]

SEC. 6. Corporations for municipal purposes shall not be created by special laws; but the Legislature, by general laws, shall provide for the incorporation, organization, and classification, in proportion to population, of cities and towns, which laws may be altered, amended, or repealed. Cities and towns heretofore organized or incorporated may become organized under such general laws whenever a majority of the electors voting at a general election shall so determine, and shall organize in conformity therewith; and cities and towns heretofore or hereafter organized, and all charters thereof framed or adopted by authority of this Constitution, except in municipal affairs, shall be subject to and controlled by general laws. [Amendment adopted November 3, 1896.]

SEC. 7. City and county governments may be merged and consolidated into one municipal government, with one set of officers, and may be incorporated under general laws providing for the incorporation and organization of corporations for municipal purposes. The provisions of this Constitution applicable to cities, and also those applicable to counties, so far as not inconsistent or prohibited to cities, shall be applicable to such consolidated government. [Amendment adopted November 6, 1894.]

SEC. 8. Any city containing a population of more than three thousand five hundred inhabitants may frame a charter for its own government, consistent with and subject to the Constitution, (or, having framed such a charter, may frame a new one), by causing a board of fifteen freeholders, who shall have been for at least five years qualified electors thereof, to be elected by the qualified voters of said city at any general or special election, whose duty it shall be, within ninety days after such election, to prepare and propose a charter for such city, which shall be signed in duplicate by the members of such board, or a majority of them, and returned, one copy to the Mayor thereof, or other chief executive officer of such city, and the other to the Recorder of the county. Such proposed charter shall then be published in two daily newspapers of general circulation in such city, for at least twenty days, and the first publication shall be made within twenty days after the completion of the charter; provided, that in cities containing a population of not more than ten thousand inhabitants, such proposed charter shall be published in one such daily newspaper; and within thirty days after such publication it shall be submitted to the qualified electors of said city at a general or special election, and if a majority of such qualified electors voting thereon shall ratify the same, it shall thereafter be submitted to the Legislature for its approval or rejection as a whole, without power of alteration or amendment. Such approval may be made by concurrent resolution, and, if approved by a majority vote of the members elected to each house, it shall become the charter of such city, or, if such city be consolidated with a county, then of such city and county, and shall become the organic law thereof, and supersede any existing charter, (whether framed under the provisions of this section of the Constitution or not), and all amendments thereof, and all laws inconsistent with

such charter. A copy of such charter, certified by the Mayor, or chief executive officer, and authenticated by the seal of such city, setting forth the submission of such charter to the electors, and its ratification by them, shall, after the approval of such charter by the Legislature, be made in duplicate, and deposited, one in the office of the Secretary of State, and the other, after being recorded in said Recorder's office, shall be deposited in the archives of the city, and thereafter all courts shall take judicial notice of said charter. The charter, so ratified, may be amended at intervals of not less than two years by proposals therefor, submitted by the legislative authority of the city to the qualified electors thereof at a general or special election, held at least forty days after the publication of such proposals for twenty days in a daily newspaper of general circulation in such city, and ratified by a majority of the electors voting thereon, and approved by the Legislature as herein provided for the approval of the charter. Whenever fifteen per cent of the qualified voters of the city shall petition the legislative authority thereof to submit any proposed amendment or amendments to said charter to the qualified voters thereof for approval, the legislative authority thereof must submit the same. In submit

ting any such charter, or amendments thereto, any alternative article or proposition may be presented for the choice of the voters, and may be voted on separately without prejudice to others. [Amendment adopted November 6, 1906.]

SEC. Sa. The charter of the city and county of San Francisco may be amended, in addition to the method and the times provided in section 8 of article XI of the Constitution, in the following particulars:

(a) Authorizing the city and county of San Francisco, a municipal corporation, by its legislative authority, to incur a bonded indebtedness in an amount not exceeding five million dollars, and to issue municipal bonds therefor, and to grant and turn over to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company (a corporation organized under the laws of the State of California March 22, 1910) the proceeds of said bonds, the same to be used and disbursed by said exposition company for the purposes of an exposition to be held in the city and county of San Francisco to celebrate the completion of the Panama canal; said bonds, so issued, to be of such form and to be redeemable, registered and converted in such manner and amounts, and at such times not later than forty years from the date of their issue, as such legislative authority shall determine; the interest on said bonds to not exceed five per centum per annum, and said bonds to be exempt from all taxes for state and municipal purposes, and to be sold for not less than par at such times and places, and in such manner, as shall be determined by said legislative authority; the proceeds of said bonds, when sold, to be payable immediately by the treasurer of said city and county to the treasurer of said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company, upon the demand of said treasurer of said exposition company, without the necessity of the approval of such demand by other authority, the same to be used and disbursed by said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company for the purposes of such exposition, under the direction and control of such exposition company;

(b) Providing that any bonded indebtedness incurred for the purposes aforesaid shall be exclusive of the bonded indebtedness of the said city and county limited by section 9 of article XII of said charter;

(c) Granting to said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company the exclusive possession and use, together with the management and control, of that portion of Golden Gate Park in the city and county of San Francisco westerly from Twentieth avenue, as extended, for such exposition purposes, such possession and use, also management and control, to terminate not later than one year after the closing of such exposition;

(d) Granting to said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company the exclusive possession and use, together with the management and control, for such exposition purposes, of any lands held by the board of education of the city and county of San Francisco, and by the city and county of San Francisco, not in actual use, such possession and use, also management and control, to terminate not later than one year after the closing of such exposition.

(e) Authorizing said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company to temporarily close streets in the city and county of San Francisco westerly from Twentieth avenue, for such exposition purposes, and to have the exclusive possession and use, together with the management and control, of said streets for such exposition purposes, such possession and use, also management and control of said streets, to terminate not later than one year after the closing of such exposition. Proposals to amend the charter of the city and county of San Francisco in the foregoing particulars may be submitted by the legislative authority of said city and county to the electors of said city and county, at any general or special election

(and a special election may be called therefor) held in said city and county, after the publication of such proposals in a newspaper of general circulation in said city and county, for such time as shall be determined by said legislative authority. Upon the ratification of any such proposed amendment by a majority of the electors of said city and county voting at such election on such proposed amendment, said proposed amendment receiving such majority vote shall become operative immediately as an amendment to said charter, without the necessity of approval thereof by the Legislature.

Any act of the legislative authority of the city and county of San Francisco, in submitting to the electors of said city and county, at any general or special election, proposals to amend the charter of said city and county in the foregoing particulars, including any notice by publication or otherwise of such proposals, and of such election, and the holding of such election, in accordance with the provisions hereof, before the adoption of this amendment, are hereby validated in all respects as if performed subsequent to the adoption of this amendment. The disbursement of all funds obtained from said bonds shall be accounted for by said Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company by an itemized statement thereof to be filed with the auditor of the city and county of San Francisco. [New section; adopted November 8, 1910.]

SEC. 8. It shall be competent, in all charters framed under the authority given by section eight of article eleven of this Constitution, to provide, in addition to those provisions allowable by this Constitution and by the laws of the State, as follows:

1. For the constitution, regulation, government, and jurisdiction of Police Courts, and for the manner in which, the times at which, and the terms for which the judges of such courts shall be elected or appointed, and for the compensation of said judges and of their clerks and attachés.

2. For the manner in which, the times at which, and the terms for which the members of boards of education shall be elected or appointed, and the number which shall constitute any one of such boards.

3. For the manner in which, the times at which, and the terms for which the members of the boards of police commissioners shall be elected or appointed; and for the constitution, regulation, compensation, and government of such boards and of the municipal police force.

4. For the manner in which, the times at which, and the terms for which the members of all boards of election shall be elected or appointed, and for the constitution, regulation, compensation, and government of such boards, and of their clerks and attachés; and for all expenses incident to the holding of any election.

Where a city and county government has been merged and consolidated into one municipal government, it shall also be competent in any charter framed under said section eight of said article XI, to provide for the manner in which, the times at which, and the terms for which the several county officers shall be elected or appointed, for their compensation, and for the number of deputies that each shall have, and for the compensation payable to each of such deputies. [New section; adopted November 3, 1896.]

SEC. 9. The compensation of any county, city, town, or municipal officer shall not be increased after his election or during his term of office; nor shall the term of any such officer be extended beyond the period for which he is elected or appointed. SEC. 10. [Repealed; November 8, 1910.]

SEC. 11. Any county, city, town, or township may make and enforce within its limits all such local, police, sanitary, and other regulations as are not in conflict with general laws.

SEC. 12. The Legislature shall have no power to impose taxes upon counties, cities, towns or other public or municipal corporations, or upon the inhabitants or property thereof, for county, city, town, or other municipal purposes, but may, by general laws, vest in the corporate authorities thereof the power to assess and collect taxes for such purposes.

SEC. 13. The Legislature shall not delegate to any special commission, private corporation, company, association, or individual, any power to make, control, appropriate, supervise, or in any way interfere with any county, city, town, or municipal improvement, money, property, or effects, whether held in trust or otherwise, or to levy taxes or assessments, or perform any municipal functions whatever.

SEC. 13. Nothing in this Constitution contained shall be construed as prohibiting the State or any county, city and county, city, town, municipality, or other public corporation, issuing bonds under the laws of the State, to make said bonds payable at any place within the United States designated in said bonds. [New section; adopted November 6, 1906.]

SEC. 14. No State office shall be continued or created in any county, city, town, or other municipality, for the inspection, measurement, or graduation of any merchandise, manufacture, or commodity; but such county, city, town, or municipality may, when authorized by general law, appoint such officers.

SEC. 15. Private property shall not be taken or sold for the payment of the corporate debt of any political or municipal corporation.

SEC. 16. All moneys, assessments, and taxes belonging to or collected for the use of any county, city, town, or other public or municipal corporation, coming into the hands of any officer thereof, shall immediately be deposited with the Treasurer, or other legal depositary, to the credit of such city, town, or other corporation, respectively, for the benefit of the funds to which they respectively belong.

SEC. 161. All moneys belonging to the State, or to any county or municipality within this State, may be deposited in any national bank or banks within this State, or in any bank or banks organized under the laws of this State, in such manner and under such conditions as may be provided by law; provided, that such bank or banks in which such moneys are deposited shall furnish as security for such deposits, bonds of the United States, or of this State or of any county, municipality or school district within this State, to be approved by the officer or officers designated by law, to an amount in value of at least ten per cent in excess of the amount of such deposit; and provided, that such bank or banks shall pay a reasonable rate of interest, not less than two per cent per annum on the daily balances therein deposited; and provided, that no deposit shall at any one time exceed fifty per cent of the paid-up capital stock of such depository bank or banks; and provided, further, that no officer shall deposit at one time more that twenty per cent of such public moneys available for deposit in any bank while there are other qualified banks requesting such deposits. [New section; adopted November 6, 1906.]

SEC. 17. The making of profit out of county, city, town, or other public money, or using the same for any purpose not authorized by law, by any officer having the possession or control thereof, shall be a felony, and shall be prosecuted and punished as prescribed by law.

SEC. 18. No county, city, town, township, board of education, or school districts, shall incur any indebtedness or liability in any manner or for any purpose exceeding in any year the income and revenue provided for such year, without the assent of two thirds of the qualified electors thereof, voting at an election to be held for that purpose, nor unless before or at the time of incurring such indebtedness provision shall be made for the collection of an annual tax sufficient to pay the interest on such indebtedness as it falls due, and also provision to constitute a sinking fund for the payment of the principal thereof on or before maturity, which shall not exceed forty years from the time of contracting the same; provided, however, that the City and County of San Francisco may at any time pay the unpaid claims, with interest thereon at the rate of five per cent per annum, for materials furnished to and work done for said city and county during the forty-first, forty-second, forty-third, fortyfourth, and fiftieth fiscal years, and for unpaid teachers' salaries for the fiftieth fiscal year, out of the income and revenue of any succeeding year or years, the amount to be paid in full of said claims not to exceed in the aggregate the sum of five hundred thousand dollars, and that no statute of limitations shall apply in any manner to these claims; and provided, further, that the city of Vallejo, of Solano County, may pay its existing indebtedness incurred in the construction of its waterworks whenever two thirds of the electors thereof voting at an election held for that purpose shall so decide, and that no statute of limitations shall apply in any manner. Any indebtedness or liability incurred contrary to this provision, with the exceptions herein before recited, shall be void. [Amendment adopted November 6, 1900.]

Section 18 amended by adding the following, adopted November 6, 1906: The City and County of San Francisco, the City of San Jose and the Town of Santa Clara may make provision for a sinking fund, to pay the principal of any indebtedness incurred, or to be hereafter incurred, by it, to commence at a time after the incurring of such indebtedness of not more than a period of one fourth of the time of maturity of such indebtedness, which shall not exceed seventy-five years from the time of contracting the same. Any indebtedness incurred contrary to any provision of this sec

tion shall be void. SEC. 19. In any city where there are no public works owned and controlled by the municipality for supplying the same with water or artificial light, any individual, or any company duly incorporated for such purpose under and by authority of the laws of this State, shall, under the direction of the Superintendent of Streets, or other officer in control thereof, and under such general regulations as the municipality

may prescribe for damages and indemnity for damages, have the privilege of using the public streets and thoroughfares thereof, and of laying down pipes and conduits therein, and connections therewith, so far as may be necessary for introducing into and supplying such city and its inhabitants either with gaslight or other illuminating light, or with fresh water for domestic and all other purposes, upon the condition that the municipal government shall have the right to regulate the charges thereof. [Amendment adopted November 4, 1884.]

ARTICLE XII.

CORPORATIONS.

SECTION 1. Corporations may be formed under general laws, but shall not be created by special act. All laws now in force in this State concerning corporations, and all laws that may be hereafter passed pursuant to this section, may be altered from time to time or repealed.

SEC. 2. Dues from corporations shall be secured by such individual liability of the corporators and other means as may be prescribed by law.

SEC. 3. Each stockholder of a corporation, or joint-stock association, shall be individually and personally liable for such proportion of all its debts and liabilities contracted or incurred, during the time he was a stockholder, as the amount of stock or shares owned by him bears to the whole of the subscribed capital stock, or shares of the corporation or association. The directors or trustees of corporations and joint-stock associations shall be jointly and severally liable to the creditors and stockholders for all moneys embezzled or misappropriated by the officers of such corporation or joint-stock association, during the term of office of such director or trustee. Nothing in the preceding paragraph of this section shall be held to apply to any exposition company organized to promote and carry on any international exposition or world's fair within the State of California, and the liability of stockholders in any such exposition company shall be and the same is hereby limited to an amount not exceeding the par value of the stock of said corporation subscribed for by such stockholders. [Amendment adopted November 3, 1908.]

SEC. 4. The term corporations, as used in this article, shall be construed to include all associations and joint-stock companies having any of the powers or privileges of corporations not possessed by individuals or partnerships, and all corporations shall have the right to sue and be subject to be sued, in all courts, in like cases as natural persons.

SEC. 5. The Legislature shall have no power to pass any act granting any charter for banking purposes, but corporations or associations may be formed for such purposes under general laws, and the Legislature shall provide for the classification of cities and towns by population for the purpose of regulating the business of banking. No corporation, association, or individual shall issue or put in circulation, as money, anything but the lawful money of the United States. [Amendment adopted November 8, 1910.]

SEC. 6. All existing charters, grants, franchises, special or exclusive privileges, under which an actual and bona fide organization shall not have taken place, and business been commenced in good faith, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall thereafter have no validity.

SEC. 7. The Legislature shall not extend any franchise or charter, nor remit the forfeiture of any franchise or charter of any quasi-public corporation now existing or which shall hereafter exist under the laws of this State. The term of existence of any other corporation now or hereafter existing under the laws of this State, may be extended, at any time prior to the expiration of its corporate existence, for a period not exceeding fifty years from the date of such extension, by the vote or written consent of stockholders representing two thirds of its capital stock or of two thirds of the members thereof. A certificate of such vote or consent shall be signed and sworn to by the president and secretary, and by a majority of the directors of the corporation and filed and certified in the manner and upon payment of fees required by law for filing and certifying articles of incorporation, and thereupon the term of the corporation shall be extended for the period specified in such certificate, and such corporation shall thereafter pay all annual or other fees required by law to be paid by corporations. [Amendment adopted November 3, 1908.]

SEC. 8. The exercise of the right of eminent domain shall never be so abridged or construed as to prevent the Legislature from taking the property and franchises of incorporated companies and subjecting them to public use the same as the property of individuals; and the exercise of the police power of the State shall never be