Jessica Levinson
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Visiting Associate Clinical Professor at Loyola Law School.
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My KCET.org Activities
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Do you ever wonder why there are so many ballot initiatives designed to decrease the political clout of unions? Well, simply put, because they have a lot of it.
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Our state's highest court is wading into a confused thicket of laws concerning marijuana, and more specifically medical marijuana. Here is a quick synopsis of the legal landscape.
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The current legal framework breeds the almost ceaseless need for campaign cash, which harms both officeholders and the public.
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Running for the highest elected office in the City of Angels is not an inexpensive undertaking. The question is how much fundraising and spending will matter.
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Thus far the City Council has failed to put forward specific plans to regulate so-called pot shops. Two groups, both medical marijuana advocates, are proposing competing ballot initiatives.
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As we embark on the new year I encourage all of you to review the legislation proposed and passed by your representatives. Examine their other political activities. Determine for yourself whether they are doing their jobs by serving you.
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A word to the wise: Just when you thought "silly season" ended with the election, it did not.
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A funny thing happened on the way to Election Day for this congressional race in San Bernardino County. New York City's mayor got involved and changed the outcome.
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This month Californians experienced a full round of elections under our new open primary, top-two election system and our new legislative lines, drawn for the first time in the state's history by an independent redistricting commission.
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The wrinkle is that special interests groups largely, if not exclusively, fund many of these trips
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Californians have now lived through a full election cycle with two big election reforms.
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All of the campaigning comes down to us. We are, the "deciders." Our representative form of government depends on the ability and willingness of its representatives to exercise their right to vote.
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So much for transparency. A donation of $11 million has been given by an Arizona non-profit corporation to two California ballot measure committees -- and that's about as much as we know at this point.
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Posted Large, Undisclosed Sums Given to Support or Defeat California Ballot Initiatives
in SoCal FocusOne thing is already clear: The amount of money being given and spent to urge members of the electorate to vote "yes" or "no" on these measures is significant. -
Physical altercations are, to be charitable, counterproductive and feed into the dislike and distrust of politicians.
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It seems to me that this was a missed opportunity for two individuals with comparable goals to use a terribly imperfect process to achieve a common aim.
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Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to hundreds of high school students for a "Constitution Day" event in Orange County. I made a few observations, which may or may not give us some insight into future members of the California electorate.
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This is good news for all of you procrastinators out there.
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Prop 32 says it will limit the money from unions and corporations to political campaigns, but only one is really affected.
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Californians may soon be able to obtain more information about those giving and spending money in political campaigns. Assembly Bill (AB) 481 recently passed through the Legislature with support from both sides of the aisle. That bill would increase disclosure for independent expenditures.
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It is distressingly easy to amend our state constitution through a disturbingly broken process, the ballot initiative process. The ballot initiative process simply makes it far too easy to propose, qualify and pass citizen-initiated laws.
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There were more than 70 fundraisers this month as legislators were finalizing the session, voting on numerous bills.
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This strikes me as a terrific way to use technology to enhance civic engagement.
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Challenging election law could be costly, thanks to a recent case ruling. Let's hope this decision gets appealed.
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One of my least favorite things about the ballot initiatives process is the huge sums that those in favor and against these measures typically shell out during the election cycle. This prop is no exception.
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Posted San Bernardino County Wants Oversight from Fair Political Practices Commission
in SoCal FocusThe historically scandal-plagued county of San Bernardino has taken a step in the right direction. -
If Democrats in the next election gain two-thirds in both state houses, increasing taxes and fees will be easy.
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Our government is too big and too complex to make decisions on a piecemeal basis.
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28 races on the November ticket are between members of the same party. Those candidates now must appeal to all voters, regardless of party.
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To all of you who either forget about the meter, neglect to remember sweeping day, or just parking in the red zone for reasons unknown, the city is counting on you.
Recent Actions from Jessica Levinson
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kphan, great questions. The selection process for the commission was a lengthy, multi-step process in which the state auditors office and legislators helped to pick the final 14. The final proposal must be approved by 9 of the 14 commissioners....
Responses to Comments from Jessica Levinson
No recommendations yet.
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Do you ever wonder why there are so many ballot initiatives designed to decrease the political clout of unions? Well, simply put, because they have a lot of it.
-
Our state's highest court is wading into a confused thicket of laws concerning marijuana, and more specifically medical marijuana. Here is a quick synopsis of the legal landscape.
-
The current legal framework breeds the almost ceaseless need for campaign cash, which harms both officeholders and the public.
-
Running for the highest elected office in the City of Angels is not an inexpensive undertaking. The question is how much fundraising and spending will matter.
-
Thus far the City Council has failed to put forward specific plans to regulate so-called pot shops. Two groups, both medical marijuana advocates, are proposing competing ballot initiatives.
-
As we embark on the new year I encourage all of you to review the legislation proposed and passed by your representatives. Examine their other political activities. Determine for yourself whether they are doing their jobs by serving you.
-
A word to the wise: Just when you thought "silly season" ended with the election, it did not.
-
A funny thing happened on the way to Election Day for this congressional race in San Bernardino County. New York City's mayor got involved and changed the outcome.
-
This month Californians experienced a full round of elections under our new open primary, top-two election system and our new legislative lines, drawn for the first time in the state's history by an independent redistricting commission.
-
The wrinkle is that special interests groups largely, if not exclusively, fund many of these trips
