Direct Legislation League
[2] The group led efforts in Oregon to establish an initiative and referendum system, allowing direct legislation by the state's citizens.[3][4] California built the most successful grass roots progressive movement in the country by mobilizing independent organizations and largely ignoring the conservative state parties.[5] Following the Oregon model John Randolph Haynes organized the Direct Legislation League of California in 1902 to launch the campaign for inclusion of the initiative and referendum in the state's constitution.[6] The League sent questionnaires to prospective candidates to the state legislature to obtain their stance on direct legislation and to make those positions public.In 1902 the League won a state constitutional amendment establishing direct democracy at the local level, and in 1904, it successfully engineered the recall of the first public official.