Constitution of California

The Constitution of California is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California. It explains the jobs, powers, and how the government of California works. This important document was written a long time ago, in both English and Spanish, by many different people including American pioneers, European settlers, and Californios (Hispanics of California). It was officially created at the 1849 Constitutional Convention of Monterey after California became part of the United States.

Some parts of California’s constitution protect people’s rights even more than the rules in the main United States laws. For example, in a case called Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, California’s courts decided that people’s “free speech” rights were stronger than what is usually allowed.

California’s constitution is one of the longest in the world because it has been changed many times through votes called propositions. Since it was first made, it has been changed about five times every year. Some people think this makes the constitution too long and complicated.

History

See also: California Constitutional Conventions and An Act for the Admission of the State of California

The Constitution of California has changed a lot since it was first written. It was rewritten many times before the current version from 1879 was made. This version has been changed many times since then.

In the early 1900s, leaders tried to fix problems by changing the constitution. From 1911 to 1986, the constitution was changed over 500 times.

Over time, the constitution grew very long. In 1962, it had 75,000 words, making it one of the longest in the United States. That year, people approved a group to review and simplify the constitution. This group worked from 1964 to 1976 and removed about 40,000 words. Some changes were approved by voters, but one big change in 1968 was rejected.

Provisions

The California Constitution is one of the longest in the world. This is because of past laws from Mexico, a feeling that elected officials might not always do what is best, and many changes that people vote on directly, known as initiatives.

This constitution gives special powers to cities and counties, letting them decide many of their own rules. It also allows cities to work with counties for certain services.

Some parts of the California Constitution protect people’s rights more than the rules in the federal constitution. For example, it allows people to speak freely in private shopping centers. It also says that punishments must not be "cruel or unusual," which is stronger than the federal rule.

The constitution mentions two universities: the University of California and Stanford University. The state promises to keep politics away from the University of California, and Stanford’s property used for learning is not taxed.

Amendments and revisions

See also: California ballot proposition

The California Constitution can change in two ways: amendments and revisions. An amendment is a small change to one part of the constitution. People can vote on it if two-thirds of the California State Legislature agree, or if enough people sign a petition — about 8% of the votes from the last gubernatorial election.

A revision is a big change to the whole constitution. It now needs two-thirds of the Legislature and a majority of voters to approve. Revisions are harder to pass than amendments and can't be started by voters alone.

As of 2023^[update], amendments need 874,641 signatures. This is a small part of California's population.

Signatories of the 1849 Constitution

Many people who signed California's first constitution in 1849 were well-known at the time. The list includes several Californios, who were people born in California and spoke Spanish.