The free service available from ‘Olelo lets you sign up to receive e-mail schedules of one or more of the Legislature's committees. With this you can track hearings and live televised gavel-to-gavel meetings at the Capitol.
All you do is go to http://www.olelo.org/legupdate/index.html, click on the committee list server and fill out the form.
Within hours your electronic mailbox will be overflowing with committee notices.
The ‘Olelo site also lets you "Telnet" into the Legislature's on-line information database dubbed ACCESS, don't expect much access, however, as the site is clumsy, slow and usually several days behind the action.
If you want to see how a modern legislature communicates go to http://ais3.assembly.ca.gov/acs/default.asp or http://www.sen.ca.gov/www/leginfo/senate.html and a trip through the California legislature.