Social and Economic Reforms

Business and Contracts

In January 2014, the Center published an update to its 2013 report on compliance with California's landmark consumer arbitration reporting law (AB 2656, 2002). Recent press coverage highlights the ongoing trend towards mandatory consumer arbitration. On March 18, 2013, Center Director and Professor David J. Jung and Hastings third year student Jamie Horowitz testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee regarding the Center's findings of arbitration firms' widespread noncompliance with the reporting requirements. Since then, the Center found that compliance has continued to slip. In response, the Assembly is considering legislation to improve the quality of reporting by providing a right of action against noncompliant arbitration firms.
California Pilotage: Analyzing Models of Harbor Pilot Regulation and Rate Setting (full report) and Compendium of State Practices (appendix) - The century-old regulation of San Francisco Bay Harbor Pilots has recently become the subject of legislative and media attention. In this report, the Center compares models of state regulation of this vital, esoteric, profession, and suggests alternatives to the current regime.
The Formation and Enforcement of Electronic Contracts Abstract/ Full Text
Transfer of Assets by Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporations to For-Profit Subsidiaries Abstract / Full Text
NAFTA's Relationship to State Support of Industries and Export Abstract / Full Text

Public Safety

Jodi Schwartzberg & Annie Lo, "The Law and Policy of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions: An Analysis of Proposition 83" (Public Law Research Institute, Fall 2006) summarizes existing empirical research on the effect of residency restrictions, and analyzes the constitutionality of Proposition 83 under the federal and state constitutions. More information about Proposition 83 and the Center's work here, as well as a link to the recent California Supreme Court case ruling that Proposition 83's 2000 foot residence restriction is unconstitutional as a matter of federal law.
Civil Liability for Suicide Barriers Abstract / Text

State Governance Concerns

Approaches to Altering State Constitutions Abstract / Full Text
Municipal Bankruptcy: State Authorization Under Federal Bankruptcy Code Abstract / Full Text
Spending in Judicial Elections: State Trends in the Wake of Citizens United (full report)
Read the five page executive summary.

Public Benefits

Proposition 209, Preferences and Federal Financial Assistance Abstract / Text
The Impact of Block Granting AFDC Abstract / Text
HUD Section 3: Employment and Training Opportunities in the Era of Welfare Reform Abstract / Text

The Right to Bear Arms: Regulating Firearms

Home and Family

Legislative Efforts to Strengthen Marriage Abstract / Text
Domestic Partnerships: Rights, Responsibilities And Limitations Abstract / Full Text

Education

Affirmative Action and The Courts -- A Legal Issue Summary by the PLRI and the California Research Bureau.

Gaming in California