Chris Micheli photo by Scott DuncanMany Capitol observers are aware of the single subject rule. Some know that the California Constitution, in Article II, Section 8(d), provides that “an initiative measure embracing more than one subject may not be submitted to the electors or have any effect.” But does a similar rule exist for bills considered by the California Legislature?
Public policy, image by AlexLMXANALYSIS – Readers of bills and statutes will regularly come across statements of legislative intent, such as paragraphs that usually begin with either “It is the intent of the Legislature to …” or “The Legislature finds and declares that …” On other occasions, readers may come across statements that “it is the policy of the state.” Both are expressed opinions or state desires of the Legislature.
Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty and Jay Obernolte. Image by Associated PressWidely regarded as the most knowledgeable and effective state legislator on mental health issues in the Legislature, Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) is credited with major, bipartisan legislative accomplishments over nearly 12 years, first in the Assembly, now in the Senate, where she chairs the Senate Health Committee.
Energy transition, image by Olivier Le MoalOPINION – In the coming years, we will learn whether California’s government, led by Newsom, will seize the moment to demonstrate the first fully funded, equitable transition off fossil fuels like oil and gas. If we do it right, workers will be the designers and implementers, and will have access to good-paying, union jobs for the long-haul.
Image by PHOTOCREO Michal BednarekOPINION – In a state as large and important as California, it makes little sense for us to continue allowing ourselves to be so vulnerable to the vagaries of each shifting budget cycle. Instead, it makes much more sense to develop a more strategic, long-term social investment approach.
California bill volume, image by create jobs 51The California Legislature has a combined 55 standing committees, with 33 in the Assembly and 22 in the Senate. There were 2,661 bills introduced during the 2023 Legislative Session. Those standing committees, and their hardworking consultants (along with their minority party counterparts), reviewed and analyzed thousands of bills during the past two years.
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California law, image by Yuriy KANALYSIS – Even though the 29 California Codes, in which there are over 155,000 sections, contain guidance on interpreting their provisions, the attorneys in California’s Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) continue to modernize our state’s statutes. This important work includes the use of gender-neutral drafting of legislation for bills, resolutions, and constitutional amendments.
John Eastman, photo via Associated PressJohn Eastman has been alternatively described as a brilliant legal scholar, a mild-mannered political animal and co-conspirator in a plot to illegally overturn an election. But just who is John Eastman really? Since he transmogrified from a relatively anonymous, dial-a-quote law professor in Orange County to one of the supposed masterminds of Donald Trump’s Hail Mary ploy to hold onto the presidency, Eastman and his once-sterling reputation have been irrevocably tarnished, putting both his career and freedom in jeopardy.
Seal of the State of California, image by Aaron KohrANALYSIS – At the end of a California Legislative Session, Capitol observers will hear about the need to have “chaptering out amendments” adopted. However, that is not the correct term to use. “Chaptering out” is the problem that needs to be addressed by amendments, and “double-jointing amendments” are the solution to that problem.
Lucia Saldivar, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyGrowing up in San Ysidro, just this side of the California-Mexico border, Lucia Saldivar thought she was going to be a musician, like her father. “Music always helped me make sense of the world and my community,” she says. “Then in high school, I learned a new language to help make sense of the world around me, and that was politics and policy.”