Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Establishes Constitutional Right to Gender Identity. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today. 

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows: 

ESTABLISHES CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO GENDER IDENTITY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Provides constitutional protection against discrimination based on gender identity. Authorizes free exercise of gender identity in a manner consistent with the peace or safety of the state. Prohibits the Legislature from enacting laws establishing a gender identity. States that a person is not incompetent to be a witness or juror because of his or her gender identity. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Unknown fiscal impact on state and local governments—ranging from relatively minor impacts to costs—depending on how the measure is interpreted and implemented. (17-0003.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1799 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0003. 

The proponent of the measure, Ashley Illma Gore, must collect the signatures of 585,407 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than October 30, 2017. The proponent can be reached at (310) 425-5044 or ashley@illmagore.com.### 

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