Proposition Summary

OFFICIAL STATE LANGUAGE. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Provides that English is the official language of State of California. Requires Legislature to enforce this provision by appropriate legislation. Requires Legislature and state officials to take all steps necessary to ensure that the role of English as the common language of the state is preserved and enhanced. Provides that the Legislature shall make no law which diminishes or ignores the role of English as the common language. Provides that any resident of or person doing business in state shall have standing to sue the state to enforce these provisions. Summary of Legislative Analyst's estimate of net state and local government fiscal impact: This measure would have no direct effect on the costs or revenues of the state or local governments.

Proposition Number

63

Year

1986

Document Type

Proposition

Pass/Fail

Pass

Popular Vote Results

Y: 5138577; A: 73.2; N: 1876639; B: 26.8

Election Type

General Election

Proposition Type

Initiative constitutional

Relevant Case

Gutierrez v. Southeast Judicial Dist. Mun. Ct.: 838 F.2d 1031, 9th Cir . 1988

Code Sections Affected

Added Cal. Const. art. III, section 6

For Author

S. I. Hayakawa, Ph.D., United States Senator, 1977-1982; J. William Orozco, Businessman; Stanley Diamond, Chairman, California English Campaign

Against Author

John Van De Kamp, Attorney General; Willie L. Brown, Jr., Speaker, California State Assembly; Daryl F. Gates, Police Chief, Los Angeles Police Department

Rebuttal Author

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, Mayor, San Francisco; Art Torres, State Senator, 24th District; State Council of Service Employees

Rebuttal Against Author

Frank Hill, Member of the Assembly, 52nd District

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