(a)
Before circulating any petition for change of organization for a city with a population of more than 100,000 which is located in a county with a population of over 4,000,000, the proponents shall publish a notice of intention which shall include a written statement not to exceed 500 words in length, setting forth the reasons for the proposal. The notice shall be published pursuant to Section 56153. The notice shall be signed by at least one, but not more than three, chief petitioners and shall be in substantially the following form:
Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition
Notice is hereby given of the intention to circulate a petition proposing to ____ territory to the City of ____.
The reasons for the proposal are:
(b)
Within five days after the date of publication, the chief petitioners shall file with the clerk of the city and the executive officer a copy of the notice together with an affidavit made by a representative of the newspaper in which the notice was published certifying to the fact of publication.
(c)
After the filing required pursuant to subdivision (b), the petition may be circulated for signatures.