Did California always have to adopt a “balanced budget”? Probably, because prior provisions of the California Constitution were interpreted to require a balanced budget, at least to require the Governor to submit a balanced budget to the Legislature by January...
What does the California Constitution, in Article VI, Section 1 provide? It says that the judicial power of the state is vested in the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and superior courts, all of which are courts of record. What...
Urgency statutes, fiscal emergency statutes, and local or special statutes utilize explanatory statements. Of course, I would like to see more bills contain explanatory statements. Nonetheless, only two of these three types of measures are actually required to do so...
Who should make statements in California bills? I hope the answer is obviously the Legislature. The lawmaking power is granted to the California Legislature by Article IV of our state Constitution. What form should these statements take? Findings and Declarations...
You may recall Monday, March 16, 2020. It was the day the Legislature passed legislation to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and then recessed for six weeks before returning to Sacramento. I wanted to revisit the day to note the...
Gov. Gavin Newsom is big on demanding transparency and accountability from others, such as school officials and social media companies. But from himself, not so much—and especially not when it comes to using his clemency powers to engineer the future...
You may have heard around the California State Capitol the following phrase: “You cannot bind a future Legislature.” What does that mean? And does it apply to the electorate, or just the Legislature? The California Supreme Court, in the case...