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...
By Laura Curtis and Chris Micheli Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1300 (Jackson) on September 30, 2018 as Chapter 955. Among other provisions, this comprehensive bill makes a number of statutory changes for litigating sexual harassment claims and prohibits...
The State of California has over 200 agencies, departments, boards, and commissions that can make public policy via their authority to adopt regulations, often referred to as their rule-making authority. There is a lengthy list of state agencies that have...