Author: Chris Micheli
Chris Micheli is an attorney and lobbyist with Snodgrass & Micheli, LLC, as well as an Adjunct Professor at McGeorge School of Law.
California Local Governments Overview
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 – Its Structure and Functions
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...
CaliforniaConstitution Versus Federal Constitution
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...
Comparing California Government to Those of Other States
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...
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Drafting Legislation, But Were Afraid to Ask
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...
Using Letters to the Daily Journals for Determining Legislative Intent
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...