Find Resources for California Legislative Histories

Find the California Code:

If you are looking for the history of an enacted law, you will need the bill number or statute number. You can find these in an annotated California Code.

LexisNexis Academic (Requires UCSC or OCA access)
Annotated with statute number (and bill number for newer codes). Also includes notes of decisions.

Westlaw Campus (Requires UCSC or OCA access)
Annotated with statute number (and bill number for newer codes). Also includes notes of decisions, encyclopedia entries, and law review articles.

Find the Statute:

California Statutes: 1993 to current
For bills chaptered in 1993 to current. From the California State Legislature.

California Statutes: 1850 to 1996
For older statutes, use the bill to chapter cross-reference tables. From the California State Assembly Chief Clerk.

In print at McHenry Library
1849 to current

Find the bill history:

The bill history will indicate which committees were involved and if hearings were held. Histories also indexed by author and subject.

Bill Information
For 1993/94 to current bills. Full-text of the bill as introduced, amended, enrolled, and chaptered, bill history, and roll call votes. From the Legislative Counsel of California.

Final Histories
Use for bills prior to 1993. Includes bill history by session of legislature. From the California State Assembly Chief Clerk.

California State Archives
In-depth research of older legislation might require a visit to the California State Archives.

Find the Roll Call votes:

Bill Information
For 1993/94 to current bills. Full-text of the bill as introduced, amended, enrolled, and chaptered, bill history, and floor and committee votes. From the Legislative Counsel of California.

Journal of the Assembly
Use for finding Assembly floor and committee votes on bills prior to 1993. From the California State Assembly Chief Clerk.

Journal of the Senate: in print at McHenry library
Use for finding Senate floor and committee votes on bills prior to 1993.

Find Hearings & Reports:

The Final Histories will indicate if hearings were held in connection with the bill. Not all hearings are published.

California Senate Committees
Some recent hearings may be available online. Look for "Hearings" or "Archives" by committee.

Assembly Committees
Some recent hearings may be available online. Look for "Publications" or "Committee Hearings" by committee.

California Hearings & Reports Index
Scroll to title. Index of published hearings and reports from 1984 to present. Searchable by bill number, committee, year, etc. NOT COMPREHENSIVE. From UC Hastings.

Cruzcat
Search the library catalog for hearing title, bill number, or committee name. Some committees compile their hearings into one annual volume.

The California Channel
Private non-profit network featuring streaming "gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the California Legislature", has video of some more recent hearings

Other Reports, Analysis, and News

Policy Reports & Recommendations

California Law Revision Commission
Search by California code number to see if that section has been issued any recommendations by the LRC.

Legal Opinions of the Attorney General of California
The California Attorney General provides legal opinions at the request of government officials and agencies. Full-text: 1986 to current.

Senate Office of Research
The SOR is a nonpartisan office that provides the California Senate with public policy research and analysis. Search reports by subject or year.

Legislative Analyst's Office
The LAO is a nonpartisan office that provides policymakers with analysis of the fiscal impacts of policies.

California Research Bureau
The CRB is a nonpartisan office that provides policymakers with research and analysis of policy issues.

News:

The Sacramento Bee
See the "Capitol & California" section.

Capitol Weekly
"The newspaper of California government and politics." Limited content available.

California Journal of Politics and Policy
"a new journal of California state and local government, electoral politics, and policy, in relation to national and international developments." Published 2009 onward.

California Journal (Requires UCSC or OCA access.)
Coverage of state government and political news from 1989 to 2004.

Public Opinion Polls & Data

The Field (California) Poll
"operated continuously since 1947 as an independent and non-partisan media-sponsored public opinion news service"

Public Policy Institute of California
A non-profit non-partisan think tank that publishes opinion poll data on a variety of topics

Lobbying & Special Interests

CalAccess
Information on lobbying firms, individual lobbyists, and daily filings. From the Secretary of State of California

California Fair Political Practices Commission
Information on candidate fundraising, independent expenditures, lobbying, and campaign regulations and enforcement.

MAPLight.org: California
Tracks the connections between interest groups, campaign donations, and legislative votes. Research interest groups, legislators, or individual bills. From the Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation.