How California Statutes Are Made
Current California Statutes
Statutes are laws passed by the legislature or by voters through the initiative process. California statutes are published in the California codes, available from:
- California CodesComplete text of current California statutes, provided by the California legislature.
California Legislative History Materials
Most statutes in California are passed by the state legislature, which provides many materials for free online:
- California Legislative Information- Bills 1999 to PresentLegislative history materials for bills from 1999 to the present, provided by the California legislature. Includes the text of all proposed bills, legislators' votes, and bill analyses explaining what the bill does and summarizing the arguments made for and against the bill.
- California Legislative Information- Bills 1993 to 2016Legislative history materials for bills from 1993 to 2016, provided by the California legislature on their old website. Bills from 1993 to 1998 have not yet been added to the legislature's new website, but remain available here.
- Statutes of California on Assembly Chief Clerk's WebsiteOfficial Assembly website providing the Statutes of California (statutes organized by date) back to 1850, as well as legislative journals and histories.
Ballot Measures
Statutes may also be passed by California voters directly through ballot measures (measures on California election ballots.) Initiatives are measures proposing a new law; once on the ballot they are often called propositions. Referendums are measures to reject an existing law.
Many ballot measures are available for free online through the Secretary of State's office and the efforts of UC Hastings Law School. Other law schools and nonprofits provide additional text and commentary.
- Secretary of State- Ballot MeasuresOfficial California Secretary of State website describing the ballot measure process and providing summaries of state ballot measures since 1912 and voter guides to state initiatives since 1996.
- UC Hasting's California Initiatives and PropositionsUC Hasting's collection of proposed initiatives and propositions on the ballot since 1911.
- Ballotpedia California Ballot PropositionsBallotpedia is a professionally edited encyclopedia of elections that includes articles on ballot measures dating back to 1886.
- McGeorge California Initiative ReviewAnalyses of ballot initiatives since 1998 prepared by students of the McGeorge School of Law.
- California ChoicesSince 2010, UC Berkeley's Institute for Governmental Studies has also published its guides to ballot measures on the user-friendly California Choices website.
- League of Women Voters California Ballot MeasuresAnalyses of ballot measures by the League of Women Voters.
- 2010 Ballot PropositionsSummaries of 2010 California ballot propositions, provided by the LA Law Library.