Free Legal Resources

Official California Legislative Information
The official site for California legislative information. Includes bills and bill histories and analyses (1999-present), the California codes, and links to various other legislative publications, finding tools, and resources. Provides a link to the older Official California Legislative Information website (http://leginfo.ca.gov), which provides information on California bills introduced between 1993 and 2016.

California State Assembly, Office of the Chief Clerk
Provides quick links to the Assembly Daily File, Assembly Journals and Histories, as well as the Legislative Calendar and Rules. Also includes an archive collection of historical Assembly Journals, Assembly and Senate Histories, Legislative Indexes, and Statutes (session laws).

Recordings of recent California legislature floor debates and committee hearings are available online:

California Senate Media Archive (9/27/2005- )
California Assembly Media Archives (2018- )

For additional information on conducting California legislative history research, consult the UCLA Law LibGuide California Legislative History.

Open States
A project of the Sunlight Foundation, Open States is a collection of tools that make it possible for citizens to track what is happening in their state's capitol by aggregating information from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

California Case Law and Court Rules

California Courts - Opinions
This page from The Judicial Branch of California's official California Courts website provides access to both published "slip opinions" from the California appellate courts from the past 2 years as well as unpublished appellate court opinions from the past 60 days. Opinions are posted in PDF and Word format.

Also available is an "Official Reports Opinions" database containing California appellate court opinions from 1850 to the present. This database, maintained by LexisNexis, is "updated monthly, and usually opinions are available within 60 days of filing." Searching is free, but users must agree to the site's "Terms & Conditions of Use" in order to search the database.

Findlaw - Supreme Court of California Cases
This database of Supreme Court of California decisions since January 1934 is "browsable by date and searchable by docket number, case title, and full text."

Findlaw - California Court of Appeal Cases
This database of California Court of Appeal decisions since January 1934 is "browsable by date and searchable by docket number, case title, and full text."

Google Scholar
Click the "Case Law" button, then the "Select courts..." link to specify California courts.

California Courts - Appellate Courts Case Information
This page from The Judicial Branch of California's official California Courts website "provides case information for California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal cases. Case information is updated once an hour throughout the business day." One can search by case number, name of party or attorney, or case caption. Automatic email notifications about a specific case can also be requested.

LA Law Library's CA Appellate Briefs
The LA Law Library has an online form that one can fill out to request briefs filed in a California appellate court case. Because one needs the case docket number to complete the online request, please go first to the California Courts - Appellate Courts Case Information page where one can search for the case docket number by party name or case caption.

California Court Rules
This page from The Judicial Branch of California's official California Courts website provides access to the California Rules of Court. The "Local Rules" link on this page provides access to the local court rules for each of the California Superior Courts.

California Courts
The local court rules for a particular California court can also be accessed via the website for that court. The "Courts" page of the California Courts website provides links to the websites for all of the California state courts.

California Regulations

California Code of Regulations
This publicly accessible version of the California Code of Regulations (C.C.R.) is maintained by Thomson Reuters (which owns Westlaw). One can locate relevant C.C.R. sections by browsing the tables of contents for the various C.C.R. titles and subdivisions as well as by searching by key word or citation (via the "Search" link/icon).

Building Standards Code
The California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (C.C.R.)) is available online in PDF form on the Building Standards Commission website rather than included with the other C.C.R. Titles on the main C.C.R. website. The California Building Standards Code is published every 3 years and is updated by supplements in intervening years.

California State Agencies Directory
Contains profiles of the various California administrative agencies, with links to the agency websites. This directory can be browsed alphabetically or searched by keyword.

California Ballot Measures

UC Law SF Library's California Ballot Measures Databases
Includes the California Ballot Propositions Database and the California Ballot Initiatives Database from 1911 to present.

California Attorney General
Includes Active Measures, Inactive Measures (back to 2007), and "Qualified for Ballot" measures.

California Secretary of State - Ballot Measures
For current propositions/initiatives as well as the full text of propositions/initiatives going back to 1996 (accessible through the "Voter Information Guides" link).

California Public Records

California Public Records: A Guide to Your Rights A Citizen
This website from the Los Angeles Times provides an overview of the laws in California related to public records and provides links to various sources related to the Public Records Act and obtaining information pertaining to public meetings, public pensions, government salaries, and taxes.

Pocket Guide to the California Public Records Act
This guide from the Los Angeles Times provides information on how to request copies of public records under the California Public Records Act.

Links to Other Related Guides

California Statutes
California Case Materials Checklist
Depublication of California Court of Appeal Decisions
Court Rules - California Rules
California Administrative Law