ARTICLE 1. Authorization and Issuance of General Obligation Bonds [100400. - 100413.]

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC 1.

in effect

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100400. Section 100400.

Whenever the board deems it necessary for the VTA to incur a bonded indebtedness for the acquisition, construction, or repair of any or all improvements, works, property, or facilities, authorized by this part or necessary or convenient for the carrying out of the powers of the VTA, or for any other purpose authorized by this part, the board shall, by ordinance, adopted by a vote of two-thirds of all members of the board, so declare and call an election to be held within the boundaries of the VTA for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters thereof the proposition of incurring indebtedness by the issuance of bonds of the VTA, if the total amount of bonds issued and outstanding pursuant to this article do not exceed 15 percent of the assessed value of the taxable property of the VTA as shown by the last equalized assessment roll of the County of Santa Clara. The ordinance shall state: (a) The purposes for which the proposed debt is to be incurred, which may include all costs and estimated costs incidental to or connected with the accomplishment of those purposes, including, without limitation, engineering, inspection, legal, fiscal agents, financial consultant, and other fees; bond and other reserve funds; working capital; bond interest estimated to accrue during the construction period and for a period not to exceed three years thereafter; and expenses of all proceedings for the authorization, issuance, and sale of the bonds. (b) The estimated cost of accomplishing those purposes. (c) The amount of the principal of the indebtedness. (d) The maximum term the bonds proposed to be issued shall run before maturity, which shall not exceed 50 years from the date thereof or the date of each series thereof. (e) The maximum rate of interest to be paid, which shall not exceed 7 percent per annum. (f) The proposition to be submitted to the voters, which may include one or more purposes. (g) The date of the election. (h) The manner of holding the election and the procedure for voting for or against the measure. (i) The ordinance may also contain a statement that the retail transaction and use tax mentioned in Article 9 (commencing with Section 100250) of Chapter 5, or a stated portion thereof, shall be levied, or continued to be levied, and used to the extent required to pay principal of and interest on the bonds as they become due, to provide for any sinking fund payments required therefor, or to create or maintain any reserve fund required therefor. (j) The ordinance may also contain any other matters authorized by this part or any other law.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100401. Section 100401.

Notice of holding of the election shall be given by publishing, pursuant to Section 6066 of the Government Code, the ordinance calling the election in at least one newspaper published within the boundaries of the VTA. No other notice of the election need be given. Except as otherwise provided in the ordinance, the election shall be conducted as other district elections.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100402. Section 100402.

If any proposition is defeated by the electors, the board shall not call another election on a substantially similar proposition to be held within six months after the prior election. If a petition requesting submission of such a proposition, signed by 15 percent of the district electors, as shown by the votes cast for all candidates for governor within the district at the last gubernatorial election, is filed with the board, it may call an election before the expiration of six months.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100403. Section 100403.

If a majority of the electors voting on the proposition vote for it, then the board may, by resolution, at a time or times as it deems proper, issue bonds of the VTA for the whole or any part of the amount of the indebtedness so authorized and may from time to time, by resolution, provide for the issuance of amounts as the necessity thereof may appear, until the full amount of the bonds authorized shall have been issued. The full amount of bonds may be divided into two or more series and different dates and different dates of payment fixed for the bonds of each series. A bond need not mature on an anniversary of its date. The maximum term the bonds of any series shall run before maturity shall not exceed 50 years from the date of each series respectively. In the resolution or resolutions, the board shall prescribe the form of the bonds, including, without limitation, registered bonds and coupon bonds, and the form of any coupons to be attached thereto, the registration, conversion, and exchange privileges, if any, pertaining thereto, and fix the time when the whole or any part of the principal shall become due and payable.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100404. Section 100404.

The bonds shall bear interest at a rate or rates not exceeding 7 percent per annum, payable semiannually, except that the first interest payable on the bonds or any series thereof may be for any period not exceeding one year as determined by the board. In the resolution or resolutions providing for the issuance of the bonds, the board may also provide for call and redemption of the bonds prior to maturity at times and prices and upon other terms as it may specify, but no bond shall be subject to call or redemption prior to maturity unless it contains a recital to that effect or unless a statement to that effect is printed thereon. The denomination or denominations of the bonds shall be stated in the resolution providing for their issuance, but shall not be less than one thousand dollars ($1,000). The principal of and interest on the bonds shall be payable in lawful money of the United States at the office of the treasurer of the VTA or at another other place or places as may be designated, or at either place or places at the option of the holders of the bonds. The bonds, or the series thereof, shall be dated and numbered consecutively and shall be signed by the chairman of the board and the treasurer, countersigned by the secretary and the official seal of the VTA attached. The interest coupons of the bonds shall be signed by the treasurer. All signatures, countersignatures, and the seal may be printed, lithographed, or mechanically reproduced, except that one of the signatures or countersignatures on the bonds shall be manually affixed. If any officer whose signature or countersignature appears on bonds or coupons ceases to be an officer before the delivery of the bonds, his signature is as effective as if he had remained in office.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100405. Section 100405.

The bonds may be sold as the board determines by resolution but for not less than par. Before selling the bonds, or any part thereof, the board shall give notice inviting sealed bids in such manner as it may prescribe. If satisfactory bids are received, the bonds offered for sale shall be awarded to the highest responsible bidder. If no bids are received or if the board determines that the bids received are not satisfactory as to price or responsibility of the bidders, the board may reject all bids received, if any, and either readvertise or sell the bonds at private sale.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100406. Section 100406.

Delivery of any bonds may be made at any place either inside or outside the state, and the purchase price may be received in cash or bank credits.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100407. Section 100407.

All accrued interest and premiums received on the sale of bonds shall be placed in the fund to be used for the payment of principal of and interest on the bonds and the remainder of the proceeds of the bonds shall be placed in the treasury to the credit of the proper improvement fund and applied exclusively to the purposes for which the debt was incurred, which purposes shall be in conformity with an approved general transit plan or element thereof then in effect. When those purposes have been accomplished any moneys remaining in the improvement fund (a) shall be transferred to the fund to be used for the payment of principal of and interest on the bonds, or (b) shall be placed in a fund to be used for the purchase of outstanding bonds of the VTA from time to time in the open market at prices and in a manner, either at public or private sale or otherwise, as the board may determine. Bonds so purchased shall be canceled immediately.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100408. Section 100408.

After the expiration of three years after a bond election the board may determine, by ordinance adopted by a vote of two-thirds of all the members of the board, that any or all of the bonds authorized at the election remaining unsold shall not be issued or sold. When the ordinance takes effect, the authorization to issue such bonds shall become void.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100409. Section 100409.

Whenever the board deems that the expenditure of money for the purposes for which the bonds were authorized by the voters is impractical or unwise, it may, by ordinance adopted by a vote of two-thirds of all members of the board, so declare and call an election to be held within the boundaries of the VTA for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters thereof the proposition of incurring indebtedness by the issuance of the bonds for some other purposes or, in the case where bonds have been sold, the proposition to use the proceeds for some other purposes. The procedure, so far as applicable, shall be the same as when a bond proposition is originally submitted.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100410. Section 100410.

The board may provide for the issuance, sale, or exchange of refunding bonds to redeem or retire any bonds issued by the VTA upon the terms, at the times, and in the manner which it determines. Refunding bonds may be issued in a principal amount sufficient to pay all or any part of the principal of outstanding bonds, the interest thereon, and the premiums, if any, due upon call and redemption thereof prior to maturity and all expenses of the refunding. The provisions of this article for issuance and sale of bonds apply to the issuance and sale of the refunding bonds, except that (a) no election need be called or held for the purpose of authorizing the issuance of refunding bonds, and (b) when refunding bonds are to be exchanged for outstanding bonds, the method of exchange shall be as determined by the board.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100411. Section 100411.

The provisions of Article 4 (commencing with Section 53500) of Chapter 3 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code are applicable to the VTA.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100412. Section 100412.

Any bonds which shall be issued under the provisions of this article shall be legal investment for all trust funds; for the funds of insurance companies, banks, both commercial and savings, and trust companies; and for state school funds. Whenever any money or funds may, by any law now or hereafter enacted, be invested in bonds of cities, cities and counties, counties, school districts, or other districts within the State of California, such money or funds may be invested in the bonds issued under this part. Whenever bonds of cities, cities and counties, counties, school districts, or other districts within this state may, by any law now or hereafter enacted, be used as security for the performance of any act or the deposit of any public moneys, the bonds issued under this part may be so used. The provisions of this article shall be in addition to all other laws relating to legal investments and shall be controlling as the latest expression of the Legislature with respect thereto.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 100413. Section 100413.

If bonds are authorized that contain a provision for special taxes under subdivision (i) of Section 100400, the board may enter into such convenants as may be deemed proper to provide for issuance of additional parity bonds and the priority and pledge of special taxes; and such other covenants as are customary or desirable in the issuance of any bonds payable out of special funds or as are necessary, convenient, or desirable to secure the bonds or tending to make them more marketable, subject to the provisions of the ordinance calling the bond election.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026