As part of California’s local government structure, special districts are agencies that provide specialized services across the state. Special districts are created and governed by the local residents who vote to form them as local governmental entities. Each special district...
The over 475 cities provide a wide range of municipal services including police, fire, parks, and libraries. The city government is headed by an elected or appointed mayor to whom department heads are responsible. The city council usually appoints a...
The 58 counties, which cover the entire state, are deemed “political subdivisions of the state” under the California Constitution and they provide services on behalf of the state, such as health and human service programs, as well as countywide services...
While California statutes do not provide general canons of statutory construction, readers can find in the California Civil Code “Maxims of Jurisprudence”. These maxims are set forth in Division 4, General Provisions, Part 4, of the Civil Code, contained in...
By Tom Nussbaum and Chris Micheli Have you ever wondered how the California Legislature goes about analyzing the thousands of proposals that are introduced as bills? And, how does the Legislature’s process for bill analysis differ from policy analysis methodologies...
The State of California has long played an outsized role in national politics for a number of reasons. An oft-mentioned phrase in national politics is “What starts in California often migrates to the rest of the country” or “what starts...
The purpose of this article is to examine California’s three forms of direct democracy, which are set forth in Article 2 of the state constitution. California’s forms of direct democracy play a critical role in state governance and the legislative...