Initiative Commission Final Report
The initiative process has been one of the tools that likeminded groups have used to change the course of state and local policy—sometimes to advance it and sometimes to restrict it... Our charge was to review the initiative process and to recommend changes to improve the process, making it more responsive to the voters.
(Adobe PDF; 220 K)
February, 2002

The California Initiative Process-How Democratic Is It?
Prepared for the event "The California Initiative Process--How Democratic?", February 7, 2002. Co-sponsored by The Commonwealth Club of California and the Public Policy Institute of California.
(Adobe PDF; 88 K)
February, 2002

Survey: Campaign Finance Reform
(Adobe PDF; 57 K)
February, 2001

Western Initiatives: A Challenge to Representative Democracy
(Adobe PDF; 1.3 MB)
October, 2000

Signing Initiative Petitions Online: Possibilities, Problems, and Prospects
(Adobe PDF; 89 K)
by Walter Baer
January 22, 2001 - Prepared for The Speaker's Commission on The California Initiative Process.

Legal Restrictions Applying to the California Initiative Process
by Floyd Feeney, School of Law, University of California, Davis
December, 2000 - California initiatives must comply with the California Constitution, the United States Constitution, and the applicable federal statutes. They must in addition comply with the California statutes applicable to initiatives and to those voting and election laws that govern elections involving initiatives. Restrictions can, therefor, be imposed by California law, by federal law, or by both. This paper provides a brief overview of these restrictions.

The Initiative Process in America
An Overview of How It Works Around the Country
(Adobe PDF; 207 K)
December 18, 2000 - Testimony of M. Dane Waters, President of the Initiative & Referendum Institute, to the Speaker's Commission on the Initiative Process. The Initiative & Referendum Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, educational and research organization that analyzes the initiative and referendum process.

State Initiative Process
November 6, 2000 - KCRW, Which Way LA?
The initiative process is being called a threat to representative government. KCRW weighs whether the process could better serve its intended purpose and be liberated from the influence of big money. Features Bob Hertzberg, Speaker Emeritus of the California Assembly; Ron Unz, Peter Schrag, and Mark Baldassare.

Ballot Measures and Judicial Review, 1986-2000
(Adobe PDF; 176 K)
Appendix
(Adobe PDF; 33 K)
by David J. Jung and Janis M. Crum, Public Law Research Institute at Hastings College of the Law
Fall, 2000 - This study examines how often California ballot measures enacted between 1986 and 2000 were challenged in court, and how they fared. The study then compares the outcome of challenges brought in state court to challenges brought in federal court. Finally, the study discusses the pattern that emerges, in light of the role judicial review plays in our federal, constitutional structure, and evaluates proposals for initiative reform that have focused on the issue of judicial review.

California Capitol Report Discusses Initiative Reform
Mike Montgomery of NPR's California Capitol Report reports on the creation of the new Speaker's Commission on the California Initiative Process, and interviews David Abel, Karen Getman and Joel Fox. (Running time: 2:20; Size: 2.14MB; Format: MP3)

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Growth at the Ballot Box
November, 2000 - The Brookings Institution: Electing the Shape of Communities

States, Citizens Take Initiatives to the Ballot
November, 2000 - Center for National Policy

E-Democracy and Initiative Process Bibliography
October, 2000 - This bibliography was prepared for new California State Assembly members to become familiar with these issues.
Prepared by Charlene Simmons (csimmons@library.ca.gov), California Research Bureau, California State Library

California's Initiative Process: A Primer
May, 1997 - This digest report and bibliography discusses California's statewide initiative process, its history, public attitudes toward the process and current reform proposals. The research was conducted at the request of Assemblymember Brett Granlund.
(Adobe PDF; 29 pages, 208k)
Prepared by Charlene Simmons (csimmons@library.ca.gov), California Research Bureau, California State Library

Hiram Johnson's Inaugural Address
January 3, 1911 - State of California: The speech discusses at length the Initiative, Referendum and Recall process.