The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has obtained California Department of Justice records revealing a series of meetings arranged between the ACLU and other opponents of a voter ID initiative, a major political law firm with deep Newsom ties, and senior officials in Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office — including a meeting specifically about the measure’s ballot title and summary just three days before the language was substantially rewritten.

The documents, obtained by the ACLJ through the California Public Records Act (CPRA — the equivalent of FOIA in CA), reveal connections between the ACLU, Common Cause, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and attorneys who have represented California Governor Gavin Newsom and worked on the successful campaign to enshrine abortion rights in the California Constitution.

And the timing raises serious questions about what role these outside groups played in the Attorney General’s decision to change how California voters would see Proposition 39 described on their ballots.

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The Ballot Language That Started Our Investigation

As we previously reported in our Proposition 39 investigation, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office substantially changed the official title of a proposed constitutional amendment requiring voter identification and citizenship-verification measures.

On September 19, 2025, the Attorney General’s original title described the initiative as:

Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements.

But on July 3, 2026, the Attorney General issued a dramatically different title:

Prohibits Citizens From Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification.

The original language emphasized the establishment of voter identification and citizenship-verification requirements. The revised language instead emphasized prohibiting citizens from voting.

That significant shift prompted the ACLJ to file a California Public Records Act request on July 27, demanding government records concerning the original and revised ballot language, the changes between them, and communications involving Governor Newsom’s office or former Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

Now, the records we’ve........

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