Who Holds Greater Lawmaking Power: The Legislature or the People?

August 30, 2022 6:28 amAugust 30, 2022 6:33 am

Who holds more lawmaking power in California? Do elected members of the Legislature or the People of the state have greater lawmaking power? California’s Constitution provides the three branches of government, as well as the rights of direct democracy. Article...

Assemblyman Kiley Introduces Constitutional Amendment to End CA’s Jungle Primary

June 22, 2022 8:03 amJune 22, 2022 8:04 am

Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) announced Tuesday he authored and introduced a Constitutional Amendment to allow voters vote to end California’s Top 2 Primary election system, also known as the “Jungle Primary.” Assembly Constitutional Amendment 16 would require a two-thirds vote...

Winning a War of Attrition Against Government Unions

April 21, 2021 2:45 amApril 21, 2021 7:46 am

Anyone involved in state or local politics in California soon realizes that government unions are the most powerful special interest in the state. From time to time, as the ride-share behemoths proved in spectacular fashion last November with Proposition 22, corporations...

Drafting Considerations for a California Legislative Constitutional Amendment

October 30, 2020 6:47 amOctober 30, 2020 6:54 am

In the California Legislature, there are constitutional amendments which can be introduced in either house. Constitutional amendments require a 2/3 majority vote in both the Assembly and Senate in order to be placed on the statewide ballot. According to the...

The Anatomy of a California Legislative Constitutional Amendment

October 29, 2020 6:41 amOctober 29, 2020 6:42 am

In the California Legislature, the Members of the Assembly and Senate have the ability to place a constitutional amendment before the statewide electorate for consideration. The Legislative Counsel defines a constitutional amendment as “a resolution proposing a change to the...

UPDATE: Court Rules on ‘Misleading if Not Outright False’ Voter Guide for Property Tax Measure

August 6, 2020 7:25 amAugust 6, 2020 3:12 pm

UPDATE 2:10pm: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association just announced Thursday afternoon, they are appealing the decision a lower court made, which found the ballot title “misleading” in Proposition 15’s title and summary, but failed to take corrective action, allowing deceptive...

Prop. 15: Messy Title, Feud With Signer, and Ironic Zuckerberg Contributions

July 27, 2020 12:51 pmJuly 27, 2020 12:52 pm

Proposition 15, given the clever yet disingenuous ballot title, “the Schools and Local Communities Funding Act,” is also known as the controversial Proposition 13 split-roll initiative. The initiative itself is controversial enough without adding drama to it. One of the...