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78 Page 2 The precise question raised here was resolved in Howard JafVis Taxpayers Association v. City of San Diego (2004) 120 Cal.App.4lh 374. In that case, proponents qualified an initiative that would have amended the city charter to require two-thirds voter approval for new city general taxes or increase to those taxes. San Diego placed a counter initiative on the same ballot requiring that the tax measure be approved by a two-thirds vote. Both measures passed but the tax measure failed to receive two-thirds voter approval. As a result, the City contended that the measure failed. In reviewing these facts, the court held that the City's initiative requiring the tax measure to be approved by a two-thirds vote was unconstitutional because it violated the constitutional provision that charter amendments be approved by a majority vote: "[W]e conclude the provisions of Proposition F requiring that certain amendments to the charter be approved by a supermajority vote of the city's electorate conflict with the California Constitution." (120 Cal.App.4lh at 385.) As a result, those provisions "cannot be enforced." (/d. at 386.) Therefore, a counter initiative requiring the proposed Charter amendment initiative to pass by a two-thirds vote would be ineffective. B. Withdrawal of the Charter Initiative At the June 30 meeting, the question arose whether proponents could withdraw their initiative as part of an agreement to support an initiative placed on the ballot by City Council. Under state law, an initiative may not be withdrawn, even if proponents so desire, once it has been submitted to the City for verification. Elections Code section 9604 states in relevant part: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person may engage in good faith bargaining between competing interests to secure legislative approval of matters embraced in a state or local initiative or referendum measure, and the proponents may, as a result of these negotiations, withdraw the measure at any time before filing the petition with the appropriate elections official. (Emphasis added.) Thus, an initiative effort can be aborted before the initiative is submitted to the City, but not after. Once proponents have filed the petition with the City for verification it no longer is theirs to control, and the matter must go on the ballot even if proponents no longer desire a vote. Here, proponents have already submitted the initiative to the City and they therefore cannot withdraw it. C. The Effect of Competina Initiatives If two or more initiatives conflict and appear on the same ballot. the initiative that receives the highest vote prevails over the other initiative. (Cal. Const., art. II, 9 10; see also Elec. Code, 9 9221 ["[I]f the provisions of two or more ordinances adopted at the same election conflict, the ordinance receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall controI.1.) 2