FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2026

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation: Prohibits New State Laws That Interfere with Right to Contract with An Attorney. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on January 2, 2026.

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(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

PROHIBITS NEW STATE LAWS THAT INTERFERE WITH RIGHT TO CONTRACT WITH AN ATTORNEY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Amends the California Constitution to prohibit new state laws that deny or interfere with a person’s ability to contract with an attorney of their choice. States that another measure appearing on the same ballot that would limit attorney contingency-fee contracts shall be deemed to conflict with this measure. Applies only to laws enacted on or after January 1, 2026; does not limit courts’ existing authority to regulate the practice of law or to prohibit illegal or excessive financial arrangements with attorneys. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: No direct fiscal effect on state or local government costs because the measure preserves existing laws and rules as of January 1, 2026 related to attorney contracts. (25-0027A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2003 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0027A1.

The proponent of the measure, James C. Harrison, must collect signatures of 874,641 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible 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 July 1, 2026. The address for the proponent is c/o James C. Harrison and Quentin Barbosa, Olson Remcho, LLP, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be contacted at (916) 442-2952, jharrison@olsonremcho.com, and qbarbosa@olsonremcho.com.

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