Press Release

Today, the Governor signed into law landmark legislation that will modernize California’s initiative process.

Today the California State Assembly passed Senate Bill 1253, the Ballot Initiative Transparency Act (BITA) with bipartisan support (43 ayes – 21 noes). The initiative reform bill is authored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and is co-authored by Senators Galgiani, Leno, Lieu and Wolk as well as Assembly Members Gatto, Mullin, Quirk-Silva, and Ting.

The Ballot Initiative Transparency Act (Senate Bill (SB) 1253, carried by pro Tem Darrell Steinberg), passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and now heads to the Assembly for a floor vote.

Today the California Supreme Court made a last-minute decision to halt the election for Proposition 49, ultimately blocking voters’ ability to express their views on one of our nation’s most pressing issues: the undue influence of money in our political process. Today was also the deadline for the California Secretary of State to send the voter information guide to the state printer. Given the Court’s decision, Proposition 49 will not appear on the November 2014 ballot.

A hundred protesters, including former FCC commissioner Michael Copps and California Common Cause’s Ellen Grieco, rallied in Los Altos this weekend. Their message was simple: President Obama must stand behind Net Neutrality and fulfill his promise to protect the Internet for the good of all.

According to the Pew Charitable Trusts' latest Elections Performance Index (EPI), California ranks 49th in the first comprehensive assessment of election administration in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.