It was recently announced that the son of former President Ronald Reagan will become the chair of an initiative campaign that is aiming to turn the Legislature into a part-time body. Michael Reagan, a talk show host, is taking on the political role and is joining Assemblywoman Shannon Grove’s launch of the controversial effort. The signature-gathering process has only just begun but financing remains a major concern for the campaign, as only Grove has provided the largest donation: $30,000.

The Bee summarizes what the initiative would do: “The measure would reduce the legislative year from nine months to three, cut lawmakers' annual pay from $95,000 to $18,000, require legislators to adopt two-year state budgets, and bar officeholders from accepting state employment or appointment to a state post while serving in the Capitol or for five years afterward.”

If the initiative is to qualify for the ballot, 807,615 valid voter signatures must be collected by July 2.

Assemblywoman Grove has also released a video, along with the Tea Party United, urging support for the initiative. Grove states, “Last year, Sacramento politicians regulated or legislated font size, shark fins, state rocks - it's just outrageous what they spend their time on. ... We need to reduce the damage that legislators impact on our state.” You can view the video here:

Recently a fourth measure qualified for the November 2012 ballot. A successful referendum campaign gathered enough signatures (504,760 were needed) to overturn the state’s newly drawn Senate districts. Republicans were behind the drive because they are concerned about new districts giving Democrats an extra edge in the Legislature, as they could possibly attain a two-thirds supermajority, which is the margin needed to approve tax or fee increases.

The Bee points out key details: “Because legislative primary elections will be held before November ballots are cast, however, the Supreme Court ruled last month that the contested Senate districts will be used in this year's balloting. Twenty of the Senate's 40 districts are up for grabs this year in districts drawn by an independent citizens commission consisting of five Democrats, five Republicans and four independent or minor-party voters.”

The official title and summary for the referendum is as follows:

“REDISTRICTING. STATE SENATE DISTRICTS. REFERENDUM. State Senate districts are revised every ten years following the federal census. This year, the voter-approved California Citizens Redistricting Commission revised the boundaries of the 40 Senate districts. This referendum petition, if signed by the required number of registered voters and filed with the Secretary of State, will: (1) Place the revised State Senate boundaries on the ballot and prevent them from taking effect unless approved by the voters at the next statewide election; and (2) Require court-appointed officials to set interim boundaries for use in the next statewide election.”

As a refresher, here are the measures that are already on the November ballot, which this referendum will join:

Below is our monthly rundown on updates from the Secretary of State concerning changes in status for a variety of different initiatives. The key takeaway is that there are currently 65 initiatives cleared for circulation and five are pending at the Attorney General’s Office.

1505. (11-0027) State and Local Government Purchasing. Made in United States. Initiative Statute.
Initiative Failed to Qualify.

1512. (11-0035) Death Penalty Repeal. Initiative Statute.
Initiative Pending Signature Verification.

1504. (11-0026) Reduces Pension Benefits for Public Employees. Creates a New State Retirement System for Private Sector Employees. Initiative Statute.
Initiative Failed to Qualify.

1499. (11-0028) Redistricting. State Senate Districts. Referendum.
Qualified for the November 6, 2012, General Election.

1573. (11-0093)(Amdt. #1S) Education. Repeals Non-Discrimination Requirements for School Instruction. Narrows Requirement that Students Study Role and Contributions of Various Groups. Initiative Statute.
New Initiative Cleared for Circulation.

1574. (11-0100) Tax for Education and Early Childhood Programs. Initiative Statute.
New Initiative Cleared for Circulation.

1572. (11-0096, Amdt. #1S) Tax on California Oil and Natural Gas. Revenues to Higher Education and General Fund. Initiative Statute.
New Initiative Cleared for Circulation.

1502. (11-0022) Increases Retirement Age for Teachers, Peace Officers, and Other Public Employees. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Initiative Failed to Qualify.

1501. (11-0021) Increases Income Taxes on Teachers, Nurses, Police Officers, Firefighters, and Other Public Employees for Pension Income. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Initiative Failed to Qualify.

Perhaps the biggest news in the world of initiatives as of late is the governor’s decision to reach a compromise with a rival tax plan in order to increase the chances of success at the ballot this November. The governor has simply been unable to knock off competing measures, which crowded the ballot and many believed hurt the chances of voters approving a revenue measure to allay the state’s budge woes. The governor stated, “This united effort makes victory more likely and will go a long way toward balancing our budget and protecting our schools, universities and public safety.” The team effort is in collaboration with the California Federation of Teachers; the union’s own initiative, the Millionaires Tax Initiative, will now be integrated with the governor’s proposal.

Here are the adjustments outlined in the newly-formed initiative:

If you haven’t already heard, the topic of gay marriage has returned to the political spotlight, as a federal appeals court ruled earlier this week that Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Therefore, federal judge Vaughn Walker’s landmark ruling was upheld. The court’s written decision stated, “By using their initiative power to target a minority group and withdraw a right that it possessed, without a legitimate reason for doing so, the people of California violated the Equal Protection Clause. We hold Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional on this ground."

So what’s next?  Many experts believe the case is bound to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Proponents of the ban are sure to appeal the ruling, but where the battleground takes place is the issue as opponents of gay marriage could ask the 9th Circuit to review the case with an 11-judge panel (instead of 3). But if it does head to the nation’s Supreme Court, many believe the outcome will rely solely on Justice Anthony Kennedy. The LA Times reports: “Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, 75, often holds the court's deciding vote on the major issues that divide its liberals and conservatives. More often than not, that vote has swung the court to the right. But on gay rights, Kennedy has been anything but a "culture wars" conservative.”

The Supreme Court could also refuse to hear the case, which would mean no national precedent would be set for gay marriage. In order for the case to be considered, four justices must vote for it and for a ruling to be issued a majority is needed.

You can read the court’s full ruling here. More analysis on the future of the case is here.