Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Zócalo's Connecting California

Zócalo's Connecting California

Sign here and make California better

California’s bustling ballot initiative process is supported by a paid army of petition circulators whose job is to get your signature on the bottom line.

  • Share
KCRW placeholderBy Joe Mathews • May 24, 2018 • 5m Listen

California lawmakers frequently punt on some of the biggest issues facing the state, and that means voters are called upon to decide to settle debates directly, through ballot initiatives. By the time the dust settles, there could be dozens of propositions on the ballot for the November election. Most of the signatures needed to qualify these measures are collected by professional petition circulators, but their job is getting tougher because of the sheer volume number of proposals and tighter restrictions on where they can approach you. It’s a system calling out for reform, but Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews says it doesn’t appear substantive change is coming anytime soon.

  • KCRW placeholder

    Joe Mathews

    Host, "Zocalo's Connecting California"

    NewsCaliforniaLos Angeles
Back to Zócalo's Connecting California