The California State Constitution

The California Constitution is one of the longest in the world and has been revised over 500 times since its original drafting in 1849. In its current incarnation, the constitution reflects the state's mistrust of elected officials, gives cities and towns broad home rule powers, and outlines governance for the state's university system. The California State Constitution provides an outstanding constitutional and historical account of the state's basic governing charter. In addition to an overview of California's constitutional history, it offers an in-depth, section-by-section analysis of the entire constitution, detailing the many significant changes that have been made since its initial drafting in 1849. This treatment, along with a table of cases, index, and the bibliography provides an unsurpassed reference guide for students, scholars, and practitioners of California's constitution. The second edition updates and expands the previous edition published in 1993. The book provides new analysis, with citations to court decisions and relevant scholarly commentary, as well as accompanying explanations and a lengthy introduction to provide historical and thematic context. This new edition also contains a foreword by the current Chief Justice of California, Tani Cantil-Sakauye. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

Series foreword by G. Alan Tarr ; Preface (with Acknowledgments) ; Foreword by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye ; Part one: The History of California Constitution ; Part two: The California Constitution and Commentary ; Preamble ; Article I Declaration of Rights ; Article II Voting, Initiative and Referendum, and Recall ; Article III State of California ; Article IV Legislative ; Article V Executive ; Article VI Judicial ; Article VII Public Officers and Employees ; Article IX Education ; Article X Water ; Article XA Water Resources Development ; Article XB Marine Resources Protection Act of 1990 ; Article XI Local Government ; Article XII Public Utilities ; Article XIII Taxation ; Article XIIIA Tax Limitation ; Article XIIIB Government Spending Limitation ; Article XIIIC Voter Approval for Local Tax Levies ; Article XIIID Assessment and Property-Related Fee Reform ; Article XIV Labor Relations ; Article XV Usury ; Article XVI Public Finance ; Article XVIII Amending and Revising the Constitution ; Article XIX Motor Vehicle Revenues ; Article XIXA Loans from the Public Transportation Account or Local Transportation Funds ; Article XIXB Motor Vehicle Fuel Sales Tax Revenues and Transportation Improvement Funding ; Article XIXC Enforcement of Certain Provisions ; Article XX Miscellaneous Subjects ; Article XXI Redistricting of Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Education Districts ; Article XXII Architectural and Engineering Services ; Article XXXIV Public Housing Project Law ; Article XXXV Medical Research ; Bibliography ; Table of Cases ; Index ; About the Author