Over the years, both Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli have spoken about the lobbying profession and Ray has operated his successful Lobbying 101 and Lobbying 201 courses for more than a decade. They both have shared many insights and real-life stories about the legislative and lobbying processes in Sacramento.

It is often said that what we do in California leads the nation, for good or bad, and how that policy is made is important. So, Ray and Chris decided to put together a textbook from leading practitioners on the ground that they know would provide an engaging read for students…

In the practical publication California Lobbying Manual: A Practitioner's Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California, there are 58 authors who have contributed chapters to explain the lobbying business in and around California’s State Capitol. The authors have built upon an earlier version of this book, titled “A Practitioner’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California.” Because this revised and greatly expanded book is really more like a “how to manual,” the authors decided to call it just that. This handbook contains over 90 chapters, 

The…

California’s political and election laws have been in place for decades and there is an extensive number of statutes and appellate court decisions in these areas. The state’s political laws began in earnest with the voters’ adoption of Proposition 9 in 1974, which established the Political Reform Act (PRA) in the Government Code. California’s elections laws are contained in their own volume of the Codes – the Elections Code – with hundreds of sections. 

In putting together this casebook, like in other areas of California law, there are just too many topics to cover. While most…

My first book on drafting legislation in California is titled, Introduction to Drafting Legislation in California. When I wrote that book, and then had it published in early 2020, I knew that there were many other drafting topics to eventually cover.

That belief was strengthened with co-teaching the course “Legislative Drafting” at the University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law the past two years. As a result, this book contains 290 chapters and I hope for it to be a handbook for those involved or…

My first book on the California legislative process is titled, Understanding the California Legislative Process. When I wrote that book over the course of a few years, and then had it published in early 2020, I thought I had covered most topics.

However, since that time, I have come across many other aspects of the legislative process and lawmaking in California that needed to be covered. As a result of these additional writings, this book contains over 220 chapters and hopefully will serve as a handbook for those…

This is a casebook about the regulatory process in the State of California, although the state’s APA is based largely on the federal Administrative Procedure Act, (APA), just like those of most of the fifty states. While readers can find quite a few books and resources on the federal regulatory process, few such materials are dedicated to the California process.

This casebook was put together to explore the state’s rulemaking process as this had not been done before in the form of a casebook designed for college and law students. While the fundamentals of the state’s rulemaking…

This is a casebook about the executive branch of state government in California. As with the other two branches of state government, the executive branch is set forth in the California Constitution, in Article V. There are also provisions of law related to the Executive Department contained in the California Government Code.

While much focus is naturally on the lawmaking and other activities of the legislative branch of state government, the executive branch plays numerous roles, particularly in light of the fact that California has nine statewide officials, often referred to as “…

As a former colleague, Carl Brakensiek said, “A book of memoirs from seasoned lobbyists is long overdue and will be a significant addition to the lore.”

Based on the author's past twenty-five years as a lobbyist at California’s State Capitol, Chris Micheli, shares stories from colleagues and observations over the years. Newer lobbyists who come after some of these individuals should know the stories of these advocates because they were among the first after California’s Legislature became a full-time lawmaking body in the late 1960s…

New Publication Now Available!

Introduction to California State Government is written by Chris Micheli - attorney, lobbyist, and adjunct professor of law.  The publication examines California government and its institutions, including the branches of state government, the players, and the process. 

Introduction to California State Government provides a blended introduction to California government, the institutions at the local and state levels. The content is based on feedback from…

The purpose of this book is to assist persons who have had little or no drafting experience as well as to provide a reference and explanatory material to more sophisticated legislative drafters. The purpose of a legislative drafting manual is to promote uniformity in drafting style and to make statutes clear, simple, and easy to understand and use.

An introductory book such as this cannot cover all of the aspects of legislative drafting. Like many other forms of legislative work, good drafting comes with experience and knowledge, and a successful bill drafter will pursue both…

When I first contemplated a casebook focused on California’s legislative branch of government, I considered a section dedicated to the forms of direct democracy found in the state. However, as I explored the topic further, and I read dozens of cases, I realized that a casebook could be focused just on California’s treatment of the three forms of direct democracy. As a result, I compiled the materials that are contained in this casebook.

I also researched books, law review articles and other sources for information on California’s forms of direct democracy. After examining these…

Understanding the California Legislative Process is one of the few that is focused exclusively on the California legislative process. The book is a compilation of short chapters on the state legislative process. Although focused on California, the book provide insights into the legislative process that will apply in most of the 50 states. Beginning with a discussion about the Legislature’s powers as set forth in the state constitution, the bill delves deeply into the legislative process, including information about support entities, deadlines, types of…