Micheli Files

The rulemaking process in California: Part II

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California’s official rulemaking process is, to say the last, incredibly complex. In this second of a two-part Micheli Files, lobbyist and law professor Chris Micheli examines more aspects of that process. Part I of can be found here. 

Micheli Files

The California rulemaking process, Part I

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We’ve all heard the expression “The rules are the rules.” But when it comes to making rules in the state of California, the process has its own labyrinth of, well, rules to guide the process. 

Micheli Files

A historic look at bill introductions in the California Legislature

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For the 2025 Session, legislators in both houses are subject to a 2-year limit of 35 bills. But did the lower caps actually produce fewer bills this year? In a special edition of the Micheli Files, law professor and lobbyist Chris Micheli took a look a bill intros going back almost two decades to give us that answer.

Micheli Files

Constitutional amendments used in the California legislature

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What is a “constitutional amendment”? Although California’s Constitution provides for the amendment of this document, our state Constitution does not define this term. A traditional definition of a constitutional amendment is a modification to an existing constitution.

Micheli Files

Bills used in the California Legislature

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There are numerous types of bills introduced in the California Legislature each year, and an equal number of rules for how and when they are presented. In this week’s Micheli Files, lobbyist and law professor Chris Micheli gives us the lowdown on legislation under the dome.

Micheli Files

Resolutions used in the California Legislature

The California State Capitol building in Sacramento, CA. Image by jsolie

What is a “resolution” in the California Legislature? Although resolutions and concurrent resolutions are mentioned several times in Article IV of the California Constitution, neither term is defined in that document.

Micheli Files

Common California bill “plus” sections and their order

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At the end of bills in the California Legislature, there may be “plus sections,” which are uncodified provisions that may do a number of things, such as expressing legislative intent, making legislative findings and declarations, or explaining why a bill may have a certain designation, such as a special statute or an urgency statute.

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