California Constitution – Page 20

Impeachment of California State Officers

January 8, 2022 7:53 amJanuary 8, 2022 8:00 am

The California Constitution, like its federal counterpart, allows for the impeachment and conviction of certain state officials. The U.S. Constitution provides in Article I, Section 2 that “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall...

Constitutional Vote Requirements for the California Legislature

January 7, 2022 6:57 amJanuary 7, 2022 6:59 am

There are a number of provisions contained in the California Constitution that specify certain vote requirements for the Legislature. The following are those provisions of the state Constitution: Article IV, Section 4 – Travel and living expenses for Members of...

Some California Constitutional Provisions Can Be Waived

January 6, 2022 3:33 pmJanuary 6, 2022 2:41 pm

When the Legislature initially followed the Governor’s shelter at home order and passed two budget-related bills on March 16, 2020, it required waiver of two constitutional requirements. The first was the required three readings of a bill prior to its...

Constitutional Rules for the California State Budget

January 6, 2022 7:30 amJanuary 6, 2022 6:54 am

The annual state budget bill, as well as the “budget bill junior” and budget “trailer bills” are governed by provisions of the California Constitution. The budget bill junior and budget trailer bills are formally called “other bills providing for appropriations...

Does the Governor Have 12 or 30 Days to Act on Bills?

January 5, 2022 3:09 pmJanuary 5, 2022 2:14 pm

A commonly-misunderstood item in the California legislative process is determining whether the Governor has 12 days to take action on a bill, or 30 days. The general rule is that the Governor has 12 days to act, once a bill...

Why Is the Governor in Article IV of the California Constitution?

January 5, 2022 7:06 amJanuary 5, 2022 7:16 am

When reading the California Constitution, we find that Article IV relates to the legislative branch of state government. Section 1 of Article IV grants lawmaking authority to the Legislature. On the other hand, Article V relates to the executive branch...

Why Is the Fish and Game Commission in the Constitution?

January 3, 2022 3:37 pmJanuary 3, 2022 3:42 pm

Did you know that the California Fish and Game Commission, an executive branch entity, is created by the state Constitution? Why is the Commission in Article IV, which deals with the legislative branch of state government, rather than Article V,...