California Initiative Review

The California Initiative Review (CIR) is a non-partisan, objective Internet publication which provides comprehensive, independent analyses of California Ballot initiatives and related issues. The review is presented each year at our California Initiative Forum.

The 2012 California Initiative Forum will be held Friday, April 13 at 5 p.m. Please click here for details.

At every statewide election in California, voters make choices about candidates and ballot propositions. Statewide ballot measures, including initiatives and referendums, are a form of direct democracy and allow voters to have a voice in the laws that will govern them.

In an effort to aid voters in exercising their choice, students in the California Initiative Seminar course at Pacific McGeorge study and analyze all statewide ballot measures for each California election. Their objective analyses are published here as the California Initiative Review (CIR).

In each analysis, you will find an executive summary of the report, followed by a section describing the changes that the proposition will make to existing law. Each analysis also details any other consequences that might result from the change in law, any drafting issues with the proposition language, and any anticipated constitutional challenges if the proposition passes.Finally, the analysis presents the policy considerations advanced by both the proponents and opponents of the measure.

The CIR is produced by the Capital Center for Public Law & Policy, at Pacific McGeorge. It is intended to present a balanced and non-partisan examination of each measure. The student authors and editors of the CIR are supervised by Professor Mary-Beth Moylan.

The editors of the CIR publish the analyses of current measures in advance of the election date in an effort to give voters ample opportunity to consider the issues. Past initiative analyses and reports are published on a continuing basis.

Published materials remain on this web site after each election for future reference

Questions or comments, contact Professor Moylan.