Chief Deputy Secretary of State of California affirms that the law does not currently allow e-initiatives

Evan Goldberg is the Chief Deputy Secretary of State of California.  Here are his duties, as self-described on his LinkedIn page:

Lead and manage this 450-employee state agency while overseeing several major elections-related programs, including the launch of California’s online voter registration system. Play an instrumental role in setting elections-related policy for California, making the agency significantly more transparent, working with state lawmakers, and improving service to millions of people who interact with the office each year.

Mr. Goldberg today responded to an inquiry from Etopia News about the status of online signature-gathering in California.  Here’s what he said:

"...I'm responding to your question about why Secretary Bowen does not allow online signatures for petitions.  

"The law does not permit petition signatures to be collected online.”