Two branches of government are involved in making a new law: the Legislative Brach (the Senate and Assembly) and the Executive Branch (the Governor). The Senate has 40 Senators, and the Assembly has 80 Assemblymembers. Each Senator and Assemblymember gets to introduce legislation and vote on bills.
Each Senator and Assemblymember represents a different part of California (called a district). The part of California you live in (your district) is represented by one Senator and one Assemblymember. Besides voting on bills, your Senator and Assemblymember can help people in their districts with problems they may be having.
Although the procedure of creating and passing laws can become complicated, the chart below shows the essential steps for passage of a bill.
Download the The Lifecycle of Legislation PDF