Standing for taxpayers and direct democracy

The powers of direct democracy — initiative, referendum and recall — have been powerful tools to control slow-moving or corrupt politicians.
These powers are enshrined in the California constitution for reasons that are just as compelling in 2020 as they were in 1911 when Gov. Hiram Johnson, seeking to counterbalance the influence the railroads had over the state Capitol, pushed to give ordinary citizens equal footing with legislative bodies to enact or reject legislative proposals.