California Constitution – Page 8

Frequently Asked Questions about California Constitution Article III

May 7, 2024 2:31 amMay 7, 2024 2:32 am

How many sections does Article 3 have? This article contains nine sections: What does Article 3 relate to? It relates to the State of California. What is the relationship between California and the country? Section 1 specifies that the State...

LA Superior Court Strikes Down SB 9 – Housing Approvals: A Lesson in Legislative Drafting

May 2, 2024 4:14 pmMay 2, 2024 4:14 pm

On April 22, 2024, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge struck down Senate Bill 9 (Atkins), which was enacted in 2021 as Chapter 162. SB 9 dealt with approvals for housing development. According to the Assembly Floor analysis, SB 9...

Frequently Asked Questions about Knowing When an Initiative Is Being Amended

May 1, 2024 2:30 amMay 1, 2024 2:31 am

Can an initiative measure be amended by the Legislature? Yes, Article II, Section 10 of the California Constitution provides in Subdivision (c): The Legislature may amend or repeal a referendum statute. The Legislature may amend or repeal an initiative statute...

Frequently Asked Question about What Is Subject to Referendum

April 30, 2024 2:30 amApril 30, 2024 2:31 am

What is the referendum? It is “the power of the electors to approve or reject statutes or parts of statutes.” What types of statutes are not subject to a referendum? They are urgency statutes, statutes calling elections, and statutes providing...

Frequently Asked Questions about Voting on a Recall Petition

April 29, 2024 7:23 amApril 29, 2024 7:23 am

What is the recall? It is defined as the “the power of the electors to remove an elective officer.” Where is the authority for a recall? It is found in the California Constitution in Article II, Section 13. How is...

Frequently Asked Questions about Other Constitutional Provisions and the Legislature

April 15, 2024 2:30 amApril 15, 2024 2:31 am

Most of the provisions of the California Constitution concerning the Legislature are found in Article IV, Sections 1 thru 28. Nonetheless, there are a number of provisions found in other articles of the state Constitution affecting the duties and powers...

Good Example of Municipal Affair Explanation

April 14, 2024 3:00 pmApril 14, 2024 3:01 pm

When I come across a good example of legislative drafting, I like to highlight it. In some bills, there is a determination made between whether a bill is a “matter of statewide concern” or the bill is a “municipal affair.”...