[habith]

I'd like to add that registering to vote is the first step.

Researching the propositions (and candidates for that matter) that get put on the ballot yourself (LAO[1], SOS[2], Ballotpedia[3] and Google) and ignoring media coverage/ads can make a huge difference.

The Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) is particularly useful. Their analysis of prop 1[4] combined with Ballotpedia's[5] summary was very informative.

[1]: http://www.lao.ca.gov/

[2]: http://www.sos.ca.gov/

[3]: http://ballotpedia.org/

[4]: http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2014/prop-1-110414.aspx

[5]: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_1,_Water_Bond_...