Initiative Measures

California Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General

One of the many responsibilities of the Attorney General is to prepare a title and summary for proposed initiative measures prior to the circulation of qualification petitions.

This web site makes available the full text of Active Measures submitted for preparation of a circulating title and summary. A list of withdrawn or failed proposals is available at Inactive Measures.

State law requires a proponent to furnish the Attorney General's Office with the complete text of a proposed ballot measure for preparation of an official title and summary. The proposed measure must be submitted with a $200 filing fee, which is refunded if the measure qualifies for an election ballot. By law, the Attorney General's title and summary may not exceed 100 words. (Effective November 2006, the Attorney General's Initiative Number (i.e., 07-0001 Initiative) is counted as two words and is part of the title and summary.) After preparation, the title and summary is submitted with the proposal to the Secretary of State.

Information on petition circulation deadlines and signature requirements are detailed in the Secretary of State's "How to Qualify an Initiative".