Full Answer
The ballot initiative process gives California citizens a way to propose laws and constitutional amendments without the support of the Governor or the Legislature. A simplified explanation of the initiative process follows. Write the text of the proposed law (initiative draft). Active Measures are proposed initiatives.
Are the Attorney General's opinions binding? The Attorney General's opinions are advisory, and not legally binding on courts, agencies, or individuals.
Proponent(s) must submit a written request signed by 25 or more electors. 1 If the Legislative Counsel determines that there is a reasonable probability the proposed initiative measure will eventually be submitted to the voters, the Legislative Counsel will draft the proposed law. (Government Code § 10243.)
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative.
Attorney General California Toll-Free Complaint Number: 1-800-952-5225. Submitting a complaint by Mail (Download, fill out, and mail this form): P.O Box 944255, Sacramento 94244. Submitting a complaint by FAX (Download, file out, and fax this form): (916) 323-5341.
The Attorney General's responsibilities include safeguarding Californians from harm and promoting community safety, preserving California's spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.
The California State Assembly has 80 Members elected to two-year terms. Under the provisions of term limits, each Member elected on or after the passage of Proposition 28, in 2012, may serve a lifetime maximum of 12 years in the State Legislature.
How-to create a petition:Choose a target. An effective target is a person who has the power to give you what you want. ... Write the message. Keep this short and sweet. ... Make a Specific Ask. Ask your target to take a concrete action. ... Create space for people to sign and fill their information.
To cross the first threshold and be searchable within WhiteHouse.gov, a petition must reach 150 signatures within 30 days. To cross the second threshold and require a response, a petition must reach 100,000 signatures within 30 days.
Eligible initiative measures will become qualified for the ballot on the 131st day prior to the next Statewide General Election unless withdrawn by the proponents prior to its qualification by the Secretary of State. A referendum can qualify for the ballot up to 31 days before an election.
A referendum is only passed if it is approved by a majority of voters across the nation and a majority of voters in a majority of states—this is known as a double majority. Territory voters are only counted in the national majority. If a referendum is successful, the change is made to the Constitution.
Referendums are normally not legally binding, so legally the Government can ignore the results; for example, even if the result of a pre-legislative referendum were a majority of "No" for a proposed law, Parliament could pass it anyway, because Parliament is sovereign.
What is an Initiative? The Initiative is the power of the People to directly propose and enact state laws and amendments to the California Constitution.
Which of the following were features of the 1849 California Constitution? African Americans were prohibited from testifying against whites in court. All laws and other provisions were to be published in both English and Spanish. White and Native American males over the age of 25 were given the right to vote.
The recall allows voters to remove an elected official from office before his/her term expires.
May 7, 1879California has had two Constitutions. The first Constitution of California was ratified on November 13, 1849, prior to California's admittance into the Union in 1850. California's current constitution was ratified on May 7, 1879 and has been amended over 480 times.
The Attorney General issues an official title and summary for every proposed initiative submitted in compliance with procedural requirements. To view an official title and summary, select the title and summary link.
Please note that the comment period applies only to initiatives and will conclude after 30 days.