California Constitution Archives - Page 8 of 15

Why Is the Governor in Article IV of the California Constitution?

January 5, 2022 7:06 amJanuary 5, 2022 7:16 am

When reading the California Constitution, we find that Article IV relates to the legislative branch of state government. Section 1 of Article IV grants lawmaking authority to the Legislature. On the other hand, Article V relates to the executive branch...

Why Is the Fish and Game Commission in the Constitution?

January 3, 2022 3:37 pmJanuary 3, 2022 3:42 pm

Did you know that the California Fish and Game Commission, an executive branch entity, is created by the state Constitution? Why is the Commission in Article IV, which deals with the legislative branch of state government, rather than Article V,...

Executive Branch Officials and the ‘Revolving Door’ Limitation

January 3, 2022 12:27 pmJanuary 3, 2022 12:33 pm

Similar to the “revolving door” limitation on state legislators found in Article IV, Section 5(e) of the California Constitution, executive branch officials of state government are also subject to this limitation when these officials leave government service. It is often...

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

Gifts and Honoraria and California Legislators

December 30, 2021 3:05 pmJanuary 3, 2022 4:21 am

The California Constitution, in Article IV, Section 5, prohibits any honorarium being paid and limits gifts being made to state legislators. Government Code Title 9 (Political Reform), Chapter 9.5 (Ethics) deals with both topics as well. The following is a...

When is the California Legislature Permitted to Meet in Closed Session?

December 30, 2021 10:07 amJanuary 3, 2022 4:23 am

With the voters’ adoption of Proposition 64 at the November 2016 general election, there are greater “sunshine” rules for legislative proceedings of the California Legislature. Nonetheless, the state Constitution does provide a number of instances in which the Legislature can...

Limits on Certain Types of California Legislative Measures

December 29, 2021 6:54 amDecember 29, 2021 7:08 am

Article IV, Section 8.5 was added to the California Constitution by Proposition 219, the “Uniform Application of Ballot Measures Amendment,” at the June 1998 statewide primary election, to require ballot measures, initiatives, referrals, and local measures, to apply uniformly to...

The California Governor’s ‘Supreme Executive Power’

December 28, 2021 2:45 pmDecember 28, 2021 3:11 pm

Article V, Section 1 of the California Constitution provides: “The supreme executive power of this State is vested in the Governor. The Governor shall see that the law is faithfully executed.” What is the “supreme executive power”? The term “supreme...