While six states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage through court decisions or legislative decisions, voters had rejected it more than 30 times in a row.
And yet, faced with a $20 billion deficit, strained state services and regular legislative paralysis, voters in California are now set to consider a single-word solution to help ease some of the state's money troubles: legalize.
In one Newtown-area state legislative district, voters last year ousted GOP incumbent Will Duff in a race that partially hinged on his vote opposing a statewide ban on bump stocks, devices that allow a gun to fire more rapidly.
Much of the plan will need legislative and voter approval.
With strong leadership and decisive action by the Assembly before Dec. 31, they can turn into law, instead of yet another tale of legislative dysfunction, voter frustration and missed opportunity.
In 2016, he won legislative and voter approval to give districts $3.5 billion over 10 years, mostly from a state land trust created at the time of Arizona's founding and dedicated in part to funding public education.
Many activists, including members of pro-immigrant groups and labor unions as well as the Spanish-language radio personalities who helped mobilize crowds last year, have shifted their focus from marches to legislative lobbying, voter registration and civic participation.
The governor's new proposal, which requires legislative and voter approval, would issue bonds backed by future lotto revenue -- in other words, sell off future lotto revenue for a one-time payment.
In 1962, Baker v. Carr elucidated the doctrine while limiting it, holding that despite the seemingly political nature of legal challenges to legislative districts and voter representation, voters held a justiciable right to representation in the House of Representatives on a numerically equal basis as voters in other districts.
Some Democrats complain that Mr. Obama has been ineffective in speaking out, while administration officials say the legislative dawdling confuses voters.
