Committees of the California Legislature can conduct several types of hearings, including bill hearings, investigative or oversight hearings, and informational hearings. Bill hearings are obviously those that are conducted to hear specific bills. Most hearings have a similar purpose, which...
The role of local governments in California cannot be overstated. The 58 counties, 482 cities, and over 3,000 special districts (from vector control agencies to local air districts) all play a critical role in making and implementing public policy in...
California’s Constitution was first adopted in 1849, just prior to California becoming a state in 1850. The current constitution was ratified on May 7, 1879. It is the governing document for the State, similar to the U.S. Constitution is the...
The purpose of this article is to briefly compare and contrast the California and U.S. Constitutions. There are obvious similarities between the two guiding documents, but there are also important differences. Comparing and Contrasting The U.S. Constitution vests in the...
UPDATED: California state government is not unique among the other states. All 50 states provide for a republican form of government in their individual constitutions. All of the states are based upon the federal government with three branches: legislative, executive and...
The purpose of this article is to provide general guidance to drafting bills and amendments in California. We first discuss some of the considerations for a bill drafter and then follow with examples of bill language addressing the major types...
One method to help ascertain the legislative intent behind a specified measure is a letter that is published in the Assembly Daily Journal or the Senate Daily Journal by the bill’s author. These letters, for which there are many each...