(a) Within 15 days after its passage, the city clerk shall cause each ordinance to be published at least once, with the names of those city council members voting for and against the ordinance, in a newspaper of general circulation published and circulated in the city, or if there is none, he or she shall cause it to be posted in at least three public places in the city or published in a newspaper of general circulation printed and published in the county and circulated in the city. In cities incorporated less than one year, the city council may determine whether ordinances are to be published or posted. Ordinances shall not be published in a newspaper if the charge exceeds the customary rate charged by the newspaper for publication of private legal notices, but these ordinances shall be posted in the manner and at the time required by this section.

(b) Except as provided in Section 36937, an ordinance shall not take effect or be valid unless it is published or posted in substantially the manner and at the time required by this section.

(c) The publication or posting of ordinances, as required by subdivision (a), may be satisfied by either of the following actions:

(1) The city council may publish a summary of a proposed ordinance or proposed amendment to an existing ordinance. The summary shall be prepared by an official designated by the city council. A summary shall be published and a certified copy of the full text of the proposed ordinance or proposed amendment shall be posted in the office of the city clerk at least five days prior to the city council meeting at which the proposed ordinance or amendment or alteration thereto is to be adopted. Within 15 days after adoption of the ordinance or amendment, the city council shall publish a summary of the ordinance or amendment with the names of those city council members voting for and against the ordinance or amendment and the city clerk shall post in the office of the city clerk a certified copy of the full text of the adopted ordinance or amendment along with the names of those city council members voting for and against the ordinance or amendment; or

(2) If the city official designated by the city council determines that it is not feasible to prepare a fair and adequate summary of the proposed or adopted ordinance or amendment, and if the city council so orders, a display advertisement of at least one-quarter of a page in a newspaper of general circulation in the city shall be published at least five days prior to the city council meeting at which the proposed ordinance or amendment or alteration thereto is to be adopted. Within 15 days after adoption of the ordinance or amendment, a display advertisement of at least one-quarter of a page shall be published. The advertisement shall indicate the general nature of, and provide information about, the proposed or adopted ordinance or amendment, including information sufficient to enable the public to obtain copies of the complete text of the ordinance or amendment, and the names of those city council members voting for and against the ordinance or amendment.

(d) (1) Any member of the public may file with the city clerk, or any other person designated by the governing body to receive these requests, a request for notice of specific proposed ordinances or proposed amendments to ordinances.

(2) Notice pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be mailed or otherwise transmitted at least five days before the council is scheduled to take action on the proposed ordinances or proposed amendments to an ordinance. Notice may be given by written notice properly mailed or by e-mail if the requesting member of the public provides an e-mail address. Notice may be in the form specified in either paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (c), as determined by the city council.

(3) As an alternative to providing notice as requested of specific proposed ordinances or proposed amendments to ordinances, the city clerk, or other person designated by the governing body, may place the requesting member of the public on a general mailing list that gives timely notice of all governing body public meetings at which proposed ordinances or proposed amendments to ordinances may be heard, as provided in Section 54954.1. If this alternative is selected, the requesting member of the public shall be so advised.

(4) The city may charge a fee that is reasonably related to the costs of providing notice pursuant to this subdivision. The city may require each request to be annually renewed.

(5) Failure of the requesting person to receive the information pursuant to this subdivision shall not constitute grounds for any court to invalidate an otherwise properly adopted ordinance or amendment to an ordinance.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 159, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)