Legislative and Governmental Sites

The California Legislature

• The California Legislature is composed of an Assembly and a Senate, consisting of 80 and 40 Members, respectively. Members of the Assembly are elected for two-year terms, while Senators are elected for four-year terms, with one-half of the membership elected every two years. Assembly and Senate districts are apportioned on the basis of population. Out of the 32 million Californians, each Member of the Assembly represents approximately 400,000 people, and each Senator represents approximately 800,000 people.
  
  The California State Assembly
  The California State Senate
  
  Both of these sites include a homepage for each member, links to committees, party caucuses, legislative bill information, and general information regarding the legislative process.

Official Legislative Sites

• Official California Legislative Information
  The site of California's Legislative Counsel, which assists the Legislature, the Governor, and other state officers by providing legal services relating to the legislative process. Legislative information dating back to the 1993-94 legislative session (including copies of bills, bill histories, and committee analyses) can be accessed on the site.
  
  
• Legislative Analyst's Office The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) provides fiscal and policy advice to the Legislature. The office is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member, bipartisan committee. In addition to preparing the annual Analysis of the State Budget, the LAO reviews requests by the administration to make changes to the budget after it is enacted, prepares special reports on the state budget and topics of interest to the Legislature, and prepares fiscal analyses of all proposed initiatives (prior to circulation) and analyses of all measures that qualify for the statewide ballot.

Executive Branch/State Angencies

• Department of Finance
  The Department of Finance prepares and administers the state's annual financial plan, analyzes legislation which has a fiscal impact, monitors and audits expenditures by state departments, and develops economic forecasts, revenue estimates, and develops population and enrollment estimates and projections.
  
  
• California State Home Page
  The official home page of the State of California. Includes links to all state agencies, information for businesses and families, and travel and transportation information.
  
  
• Office of the Governor
  Includes all Governor's press releases and executive orders, biographical information, and an overview of the Governor's positions on a variety of issues, including education, public safety, energy, and the environment.
  
  
• Secretary of State
  The Secretary of State's responsibilities include serving as the state's Chief Elections Officer, implementing electronic filing and Internet disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, and chartering corporations. Included on the site are election data, campaign contribution information, and the state lobbyist directory.

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