Edmund G. Brown, Jr., as Governor v. the Superior Court of Sacramento County…

Summary

The court held that Elections Code section 9002 permits proponents to make substantial amendments during the statutory period so long as the amendments are reasonably germane to the original initiative's theme, purpose, or subject. Applying that lenient standard, it concluded that changes involving juvenile transfers and expanded parole eligibility remained sufficiently related to the original measure, and therefore ordered the trial court to vacate its writ. Chin, J., dissenting, would have upheld the trial court because the substituted constitutional parole provisions were not reasonably germane and bypassed the meaningful public-review process.