What is “separation of powers”? Essentially, the powers of government are provided to separate branches of government to operate. These powers are set forth in the California Constitution in Article III, Section 3, and are granted to the legislative, executive...
How many local government entities exist in California? There are 58 counties, 482 cities, and over 2,000 special districts that comprise local government. Does the California Constitution address local governments? Yes, Article 11 deals with local government. How does the...
The California Government Code, among other sources, provides a number of procedural rules for the State Legislature and the lawmaking process in this state. And a number of those statutory provisions have been the subject of litigation, so we have...
Both the Assembly and Senate of the California Legislature, like other legislative bodies, utilize several rules, as well as customs and practices, for the purpose of ensuring that legislative deliberations and debate operate in a civil and orderly way. The...
In the California Legislature, there is an order to listing a bill’s authors and co-authors and there are different types of co-authors. What do the Joint Rules provide? Joint Rule 10.7, titled “Heading of Bills,” provides the following: “10.7. A...
Does the “revolving door” limitation apply to legislators and staff alike? Under Article IV, Section 5(e) of the state constitution, “The Legislature shall enact laws that prohibit a Member of the Legislature whose term of office commences on or after...
What is a general statute? A general statute is essentially a law that pertains uniformly to an entire community or all persons generally. What is a special statute? A special statute is essentially a law that applies to a particular person, place,...