It will cost Manteca taxpayers as much as $236,000 to conduct the election for the Delicato referendum if it qualifies for the ballot.

The San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters has informed city officials adding a citywide measure to the March 5, 20234 ballot has an estimated cost of between $192,000 and $236,000.

The city did not budget for an election as none was planned when the fiscal year spending plan was adopted. The money to pay for it will come from Manteca’s general fund reserves.

Delicato Vineyards is in the process of collecting signatures to force a referendum in their bid to overturn the general plan update that was adopted in July by the Manteca City Council.

Delicato is displeased the city has zoned land the winery doesn’t own as residential.

They have until Aug, 30 to turn in petitions to the city clerk.

If they have valid signatures from 10 percent of the city’s registered voters, it will force the election under state law.

Ten percent is roughly 4,800 signatures.

Several voters who have signed the petition but who now want their names removed are working with the city clerk’s office to do so.

Based on comments made on social media, they contend they were misled by petition circulators paid by Delicato Vineyards that convinced them to sign the petitions outside Manteca stores.

Under state law, City Clerk Cassie Candini-Tilton said formal paperwork to remove a signature from being counted toward the number needed to qualify a ballot measure must be received before the petitions are turned into her office.

At the most that means there are 12 days for anyone that signed the petition and has a change of heart to take steps to have their signature removed.

Withdrawing signatures is outlined in   

California Code of Regulations Section 20970 states:

 *(a) A voter who has signed an initiative, referendum, or recall petition may submit a written request to the appropriate elections official to request that their name removed from the petition.

*(b) An elections official who receives a written request from a voter who wishes to remove their signature from a petition shall use the following guidelines when reviewing a written request:

*(1) The written request shall not be accepted if any of the following are missing from the request:

*(A) The identification of the petition - either a name or a number.

*(B) The signature of the voter.

*(C) The current residence address of the voter.

*(D) A statement that the voter seeks to withdraw a signature after signing a petition.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com