The media play an important role in state and national politics, as well as with legislative strategy and ethics. Because of this high level of influence, the media are sometimes referred to as a fourth branch of government (often called...
In California’s Government Code, there is Title 20, which covers International Relations, contained in Sections 99500 through 99524. Chapter 1 covers General Provisions and Chapter 2 covers California-Mexico Border Relations Council. Chapter 1 provides general provisions. Section 99500 states that...
One of the directives in drafting legislation is the “Plain English” rule. The purpose of this rule is for the bill drafter to use straightforward language that can be easily understood and interpreted as the Legislature intended. In that regard,...
The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is a quasi-judicial tribunal in California state government that is charged with hearing administrative disputes. OAH is established in state law and was created in 1945. It provides independent Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to conduct...
In California state government is the Commission on State Mandates. It is established in Title 2, Division 4, Part 7 on State-Mandated Local Costs. Chapter 1 contains the following statement of legislative intent in Section 17500: The Legislature finds and...
The Fair Political Practices Commission was created by Proposition 9 as part of the Political Reform Act of 1974 that was adopted by the statewide electorate in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal at the federal level. The FPPC is...
The courts in California, as well as across the country, utilize certain canons or rules of statutory construction. Essentially, statutory construction is how the courts interpret and ultimately apply the statutes or laws enacted by the state and federal legislatures....