Editing California (section)

==Government and politics==
[[File:Sacramento, California State Capitol.jpg|thumb|280px|right|The [[California Capitol]] in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], seat of the [[Government of California|California government]], hosts the [[California Legislature]] and the [[Governor of California]].]]

===State government===
{{Main|Government of California}}
The capital city of California is [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 2 of Article III of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%202.&article=III |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref>
The state is organized into three [[separation of powers|branches of government]]—the [[executive branch]] consisting of the [[Governor of California|governor]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article V of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SECTION%201.&article=V |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the [[legislative branch]] consisting of the [[California State Assembly|Assembly]] and [[California State Senate|Senate]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article IV of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%201.&article=IV |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> and the [[judicial branch]] consisting of the [[Supreme Court of California]] and lower courts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article VI of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%201.&article=VI |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> The state also allows [[California ballot proposition|ballot propositions]]: direct participation of the electorate by [[Popular initiative|initiative]], [[referendum]], [[recall election|recall]], and [[ratification]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article II of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&division=&title=&part=&chapter=&article=II |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> Before the passage of [[California Proposition 14 (2010)|Proposition 14 in 2010]], California allowed each political party to choose whether to have a [[closed primary]] or a primary where only party members and [[independent (politics)|independents]] vote. After June 8, 2010, when Proposition 14 was approved, excepting only the United States president and county central committee offices,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowen |first=Debra |title=Voter-Nominated Offices Information |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2012-primary/new-open-primary-info.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224014308/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2012-primary/new-open-primary-info.pdf |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |access-date=March 16, 2014 |publisher=California Secretary of State}}</ref> all candidates in the primary elections are listed on the ballot with their preferred party affiliation, but they are not the official nominee of that party.<ref name="DB2">{{Cite web |last=Bowen |first=Debra |title=Voter-Nominated Offices Information |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-nominated-offices.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626162020/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-nominated-offices.htm |archive-date=June 26, 2014 |access-date=March 16, 2014 |publisher=California Secretary of State}}</ref> At the primary election, the two candidates with the top votes will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.<ref name="DB2" /> This is known as a [[nonpartisan blanket primary]]. If at a special primary election, one candidate receives more than 50% of all the votes cast, they are elected to fill the vacancy and no special general election will be held.<ref name="DB2" />

====Executive branch====
{{main|California executive branch|Governor of California|List of California state agencies}}
[[File:Stanford Mansion - Sacramento, California (6007570640) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Leland Stanford Mansion|Stanford Mansion]] is the official reception center for the California government and one of the workplaces of the [[Governor of California]].]]
The [[California executive branch]] consists of the governor and seven other elected constitutional officers: [[Lieutenant Governor of California|lieutenant governor]], [[California Attorney General|attorney general]], [[Secretary of State of California|secretary of state]], [[California State Controller|state controller]], [[California State Treasurer|state treasurer]], [[California Insurance Commissioner|insurance commissioner]], and [[California State Superintendent of Public Instruction|state superintendent of public instruction]]. They serve four-year terms and may be re-elected only once.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article V of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&division=&title=&part=&chapter=&article=V |access-date=March 6, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref>

The many [[List of California state agencies|California state agencies]] that are under the governor's cabinet are grouped together to form cabinet-level entities that are referred to by government officials as "superagencies". Those departments that are directly under the other independently elected officers work separately from these superagencies.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Van Vechten |first1=Renée B. |title=California Politics: A Primer |date=2011 |publisher=SAGE |location=Los Angeles |isbn=978-1-4522-0306-5 |page=63 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tatzWQscKmcC&pg=PA63 |access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Lawrence">{{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=David G. |last2=Cummins |first2=Jeffrey |title=California: The Politics of Diversity |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham |isbn=978-1-5381-2930-2|page=167 |edition=10th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwmkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167}}</ref>

====Legislative branch====
{{main|California Legislature}}
The [[California State Legislature]] consists of a 40-member Senate and 80-member Assembly.<ref name="leg_members_and_term_limits_first_m_dec">{{Cite web|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%202.&article=IV|title=California Constitution Article IV § 2|work=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]|access-date=February 23, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224062408/https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.|url-status=live}}</ref> Senators serve four-year terms and Assembly members two. Members of the Assembly are subject to [[term limit]]s of six terms, and members of the Senate are subject to term limits of three terms.

====Judicial branch====
{{main|Judiciary of California}}
[[File:Supremecourtofcaliforniamaincourthouse (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Supreme Court of California]] primarily convenes at the [[Earl Warren Building]] in San Francisco (pictured), but also holds session in Sacramento and Los Angeles.]]
California's legal system is explicitly based upon English [[common law]]<ref name="Cal Civil Code 22.2">{{Cite web |title=California Civil Code § 22.2 |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=22.2. |access-date=March 6, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> but carries many features from Spanish [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]], such as [[community property]]. California's prison population grew from 25,000 in 1980 to over 170,000 in 2007.<ref name="Thompson 2007">{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Don |date=December 8, 2007 |title=Calif. Struggles with sentencing reform |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-08-2244622424_x.htm |access-date=January 29, 2010}}</ref> [[Capital punishment in California|Capital punishment]] is a legal form of punishment and the state has the largest "[[Death Row]]" population in the country (though Oklahoma and Texas are far more active in carrying out executions).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Death Row Inmates by State and Size of Death Row by Year {{!}} Death Penalty Information Center |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=deathpenaltyinfo.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=State Execution Rates {{!}} Death Penalty Information Center |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-execution-rates |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=deathpenaltyinfo.org}}</ref> California has performed [[List of people executed in California|13 executions]] since 1976, with the last being in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inmates Executed 1978 to Present |url=https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/capital-punishment/inmates-executed-1978-to-present/ |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=Capital Punishment |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[California's judiciary system]] is the largest in the United States with a total of 1,600 judges (the federal system has only about 840). At the apex is the seven-member Supreme Court of California, while the [[California Courts of Appeal]] serve as the primary [[appellate court]]s and the [[California Superior Courts]] serve as the primary [[trial court]]s. [[List of justices of the Supreme Court of California|Justices of the Supreme Court]] and Courts of Appeal are appointed by the governor, but are subject to retention by the electorate every 12 years.

The administration of the state's court system is controlled by the [[Judicial Council of California|Judicial Council]], composed of the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, 14 judicial officers, four representatives from the [[State Bar of California]], and one member from each house of the state legislature.

In fiscal year 2020–2021, the state judiciary's 2,000 judicial officers and 18,000 judicial branch employees processed approximately 4.4 million cases.<ref name="2022CourtStatisticsReport">{{cite book |last1=Judicial Council of California |title=2022 Court Statistics Report: Statewide Caseload Trends, 2011–12 Through 2020–21 |date=2022 |publisher=Judicial Council of California |location=San Francisco |page=1 |url=https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2022-Court-Statistics-Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704050343/https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2022-Court-Statistics-Report.pdf |archive-date=July 4, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 19, 2022}}</ref>

===Local government===
{{Main|Local government in California}}
[[File:San Francisco City Hall September 2013 panorama 3.jpg|left|thumb|[[San Francisco City Hall]] is the seat of government of the consolidated [[Government of San Francisco|City and County of San Francisco]].]]
California has an extensive system of local government that manages public functions throughout the state. Like most states, California is divided into [[County (United States)|counties]], of which there are 58 (including [[San Francisco]]) covering the entire state. Most urbanized areas are incorporated as [[city|cities]]. [[List of school districts in California|School districts]], which are independent of cities and counties, handle public education. Many other functions, such as fire protection and water supply, especially in [[unincorporated area]]s, are handled by [[Special-purpose district|special district]]s.

====Counties====
{{See also|List of counties in California}}

California is divided into [[List of counties in California|58 counties]]. Per Article 11, Section 1, of the [[Constitution of California]], they are the legal subdivisions of the state. The county government provides countywide services such as [[Law enforcement in California|law enforcement]], [[List of California county jails|jails]], elections and voter registration, vital records, property assessment and records, tax collection, public health, health care, social services, libraries, flood control, fire protection, animal control, agricultural regulations, building inspections, ambulance services, and education departments in charge of maintaining statewide standards.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baldassare |first=Mark |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=sDs4WZV0SRsC|page=67}} |title=When Government Fails: The Orange County Bankruptcy |date=1998 |publisher=[[Public Policy Institute of California]]/[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-21486-6 |pages=67–68 |lccn=97032806}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Janiskee |first1=Brian P. |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=23Y3Nxs0qWgC|page=105}} |title=Democracy in California: Politics and Government in the Golden State |last2=Masugi |first2=Ken |date=2011 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-0338-9 |edition=3rd |page=105 |lccn=2011007585}}</ref> In addition, the county serves as the local government for all [[unincorporated area]]s. Each county is governed by an elected [[board of supervisors]].{{sfn|Baldassare|1998|p=50}}

====City and town governments====
{{see also|List of municipalities in California}}
[[File:Los Angeles City Hall 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|[[Los Angeles City Hall]], seat of the [[Government of Los Angeles]]]]
Incorporated cities and towns in California are either [[Charter city|charter]] or general-law municipalities.<ref name="Cal Gov Code 34502" /> General-law municipalities owe their existence to state law and are consequently governed by it; charter municipalities are governed by their own city or town charters. Municipalities incorporated in the 19th century tend to be charter municipalities. All ten of the state's most populous cities are charter cities. Most small cities have a [[Council–manager government|council–manager]] form of government, where the elected city council appoints a city manager to supervise the operations of the city. Some larger cities have a directly elected mayor who oversees the city government. In many council-manager cities, the city council selects one of its members as a mayor, sometimes rotating through the council membership—but this type of mayoral position is primarily ceremonial. The [[Government of San Francisco]] is the only [[consolidated city-county]] in California, where both the city and county governments have been merged into one unified jurisdiction.

====School districts and special districts====
{{See also|List of school districts in California}}
[[File:LAUSD HQ Bldg.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Los Angeles Unified School District]] is the [[List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment|second largest in the United States by enrollment]].]]
About 1,102 [[school district]]s, independent of cities and counties, handle California's [[public education]].<ref name="census2012p25" /> California school districts may be organized as elementary districts, high school districts, unified school districts combining elementary and high school grades, or community college districts.<ref name="census2012p25">{{Citation |title=Individual State Descriptions: 2007 |date=November 2012 |url=http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/isd_book.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/isd_book.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |pages=25–26 |series=2007 Census of Governments |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |ref={{harvid|Census|2007}}}}</ref>

There are about 3,400 [[special-purpose district|special districts]] in California.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mizany |first1=Kimia |url=http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/vol4/vol4-background-whatssospecialaboutspecialdistricts.pdf |title=What's So Special About Special Districts? A Citizen's Guide to Special Districts in California |last2=Manatt |first2=April |publisher=California Senate Local Government Committee |edition=3 |access-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704180433/http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/vol4/vol4-background-whatssospecialaboutspecialdistricts.pdf }}</ref> A [[Special-purpose district|special district]], defined by California Government Code § 16271(d) as "any agency of the state for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries", provides a limited range of services within a defined geographic area. The geographic area of a special district can spread across multiple cities or counties, or could consist of only a portion of one. Most of California's special districts are ''single-purpose districts'', and provide one service.

===Federal representation===
{{main|United States congressional delegations from California}}
{{See also|California's congressional districts}}
[[File:California Congressional Delegation honoring Pete Stark.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the [[United States congressional delegations from California|California Congressional Delegation]] in 2020]]
The state of California sends [[California's congressional districts|52]] members to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Directory of Representatives |url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ca |access-date=March 25, 2014 |publisher=House.gov}}</ref> the nation's largest congressional state delegation. Consequently, California also has the largest number of [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral votes]] in national presidential elections, with 54. The former [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker of the House of Representatives]] is the representative of California's 20th district, [[Kevin McCarthy]].<ref name="govtrack.us">{{Cite web |title=California Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA |access-date=January 15, 2019 |website=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

California is represented in the [[United States Senate]] by [[Alex Padilla]] and [[Adam Schiff]].

===Armed forces===
{{See also|California during World War II}}
[[File:USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) at NAS North Island in June 2015 (cropped).JPG|thumb|left|View of [[Naval Air Station North Island|NAS North Island]] at [[Naval Base Coronado]] in [[San Diego]]]]
In California, {{as of|lc=y|2009}}, the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] had a total of 117,806 [[active duty]] servicemembers of which 88,370 were [[United States Navy|Sailors]] or [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]], 18,339 were [[United States Air Force|Airmen]], and 11,097 were [[United States Army|Soldiers]], with 61,365 Department of Defense civilian employees. Additionally, there were a total of 57,792 [[Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces|Reservists and Guardsman]] in California.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012 |title=Table 508. Military and Civilian Personnel in Installations: 2009 |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0509.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017094716/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0509.pdf |archive-date=October 17, 2011 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |website=United States Census Bureau |publisher=United States Department of Commerce}}</ref>

In 2010, [[Los Angeles County]] was the largest origin of military recruits in the United States by county, with 1,437 individuals enlisting in the military.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=June 30, 2011 |title=Military recruitment 2010 |url=http://nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2011/military-recruitment-2010/ |access-date=June 15, 2013 |publisher=National Priorities Project}}
</ref> However, {{as of|2002|lc=y}}, Californians were relatively under-represented in the military as a proportion to its population.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Segal |first1=David R. |last2=Segal |first2=Mady Wechsler |date=2004 |title=America's Military Population |url=http://www.prb.org/Source/ACF1396.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.prb.org/Source/ACF1396.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |journal=Population Bulletin |volume=59 |issue=4 |page=10 |issn=0032-468X |access-date=June 15, 2013}}</ref>

In 2000, California, had 2,569,340 veterans of United States [[military service]].<ref name="City Data CA Armed Forces">{{Cite web |title=California—Armed forces |url=http://www.city-data.com/states/California-Armed-forces.html |access-date=December 26, 2009 |website=city-data.com}}</ref> {{as of|2010}}, there were 1,942,775 veterans living in California, of which 1,457,875 served during a period of armed conflict, and just over four thousand served [[Interwar period|before World War{{spaces}}II]] (the largest population of this group of any state).<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=September 30, 2010 |title=Table 7L: VETPOP2011 Living Veterans By State, Period of Service, Gender, 2010–2040 |url=http://www.va.gov/VETDATA/docs/Demographics/New_Vetpop_Model/7lVetPop11_POS_State.xlsx |access-date=June 15, 2013 |website=Veteran Population |publisher=Department of Veterans Affairs}}</ref>

California's military forces consist of the [[California National Guard|Army and Air National Guard]], the [[California State Military Reserve|naval and state military reserve]] (militia), and the [[California Cadet Corps]].

{{clear}}

===Politics===
{{Main |Politics of California|Elections in California}}
{{see also|Politics of California before 1900|Political party strength in California}}
{|class="wikitable floatright"
|+California registered voters {{as of|2025|02|10|lc=y|df=US}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=pdf Report of Registration as of January 5, 2024 Registration by County |url=https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/voter-registration-statistics |access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref>
|-
! colspan=2 |Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|rowspan="10" style="font-size:small" |[[File:California party registration by county.svg|160px]]
Party registration by county{{break}}(October 2022):
{{legend|#d3e7ff|Democrat ≥ 30%}}
{{legend|#b9d7ff|Democrat ≥ 40%}}
{{legend|#86b6f2|Democrat ≥ 50%}}
{{legend|#ffccd0|Republican ≥ 30%}}
{{legend|#f2b3be|Republican ≥ 40%}}
{{legend|#e27f90|Republican ≥ 50%}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
|[[California Democratic Party|Democratic]]
|style="text-align:center;" |10,367,321
|style="text-align:center;" |45.27%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
|[[California Republican Party|Republican]]
|style="text-align:center;" |5,776,356 
|style="text-align:center;" |25.22%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent (United States)}}
|[[Independent politician (United States)|No Party Preference]]
|style="text-align:center;" |5,116,983
|style="text-align:center;" |22.34%
|-
| {{party color cell|American Independent Party}}
|[[American Independent Party|American Independent]]
|style="text-align:center;" |896,260
|style="text-align:center;" |3.91%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
|[[Libertarian Party of California|Libertarian]]
|style="text-align:center;" |233,052
|style="text-align:center;" |1.02%
|-
| {{party color cell|Peace and Freedom Party}}
|[[Peace and Freedom Party|Peace and Freedom]]
|style="text-align:center;" |141,785 
|style="text-align:center;" |0.62%
|-
| {{party color cell|Green Party (United States)}}
|[[Green Party of California|Green]]
|style="text-align:center;" |110,649 
|style="text-align:center;" |0.48%
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" |Other
|style="text-align:center;" |258,490
|style="text-align:center;" |1.13%
|-
! colspan=2 |Total
! style="text-align:center;" |22,900,896
! style="text-align:center;" |100%
|}

California has an idiosyncratic political culture compared to the rest of the country, and is sometimes regarded as a trendsetter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 30, 2006 |title=California Is a Political Trendsetter |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-is-a-political-trendsetter/ |access-date=February 22, 2011}}</ref> In socio-cultural mores and national politics, Californians are perceived as more [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] than other Americans, especially those who live in the inland states. In the [[2016 United States presidential election]], California had the third highest percentage of Democratic votes behind [[Washington, D.C.|the District of Columbia]] and [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2016&off=0&elect=0&f=0|title=2016 Presidential General Election Results}}</ref> In the [[2020 United States presidential election#Results by state|2020 United States presidential election]], it had the 6th highest behind the District of Columbia, [[Vermont]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Maryland]], and Hawaii. According to the Cook Political Report, California contains five of the 15 most Democratic congressional districts in the United States.

California was the second state [[California gubernatorial recall election, 2003|to recall their state governor]], the second state to legalize abortion, and the only state to ban marriage for gay couples twice by vote (including [[California Proposition 8|Proposition{{spaces}}8]] in 2008). Voters also passed [[California Proposition 71 (2004)|Proposition 71 in 2004]] to fund [[stem cell]] research, making California the [[Stem cell laws and policy in the United States#Legalization and funding|second state to legalize stem cell research]], and [[California Proposition 14 (2010)|Proposition 14 in 2010]] to completely change the state's [[Partisan primary|primary election]] process. California has also experienced [[California Water Wars|disputes over water rights]]; and a [[tax revolt]], culminating with the passage of [[California Proposition 13 (1978)|Proposition 13 in 1978]], limiting state [[property tax]]es. California voters have rejected [[affirmative action]] on multiple occasions, most recently in November 2020.

The state's trend towards the [[California Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] and away from the [[California Republican Party|Republican Party]] can be seen in state elections. From 1899 to 1939, California had exclusively Republican governors. Since 1990, California has generally elected Democratic candidates to federal, state and local offices, including current Governor [[Gavin Newsom]]; however, the state has elected Republican Governors, though many of its Republican Governors, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, tend to be considered moderate Republicans and more [[Centrism|centrist]] than the national party.

[[File:Code Pink and pro-Marine protesters.jpg|thumb|left|[[Anti-war movement|Anti-war]] protesters and pro-military counterprotesters in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] (2008)]]
Several political movements have advocated for [[Partition and secession in California|California independence]]. The [[California National Party]] and the [[California Freedom Coalition]] both advocate for California independence along the lines of [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]] and [[civic nationalism]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jim Miller |title=California could see new political party with independence goal |url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article54004530.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308223549/http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article54004530.html |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |access-date=March 19, 2016 |website=[[Sacramento Bee]]}}</ref> The [[Yes California]] movement attempted to organize an independence referendum via [[ballot initiative]] for 2019, which was then postponed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tech Insider |date=November 9, 2016 |title=What is 'Calexit' and how can California secede from the US? |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/calexit-explainer-california-plans-to-secede-2016-11 |access-date=March 31, 2017 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

The Democrats also hold a supermajority in both houses of the state legislature. There are 62 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Assembly; and 32 Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate.

From [[1952 United States presidential election|1952]] through [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]], California was a Republican-leaning state, as the party carried the state's electoral votes in nine of ten elections, with [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]] as the sole exception. Southern California Republicans [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] were both elected twice as the 37th and 40th U.S. Presidents, respectively. However, Democrats have won all of California's electoral votes for the last eight elections,<!--8 thru 2020--> starting in [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]].

In the United States House, the Democrats held a 34–19 edge in the California delegation of the [[110th United States Congress]] in 2007. As the result of [[gerrymandering]], the districts in California were usually dominated by one or the other party, and few districts were considered competitive. In 2008, Californians passed Proposition 20 to empower a 14-member independent citizen commission to redraw districts for both local politicians and Congress. After the 2012 elections, when the new system took effect, Democrats gained four seats and held a 38–15 majority in the delegation. Following the [[2018 United States House of Representatives elections|2018 midterm House elections]], Democrats won 46 out of 53 congressional house seats in California, leaving Republicans with seven.
[[File:Protest at Los Angeles City Hall (6248466227).jpg|thumb|right|[[Occupy Los Angeles]] movement (2011)]]
In general, Democratic strength is centered in the populous [[Coastal California|coastal regions]] of the [[Los Angeles metropolitan area]] and the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. Republican strength is still greatest in eastern parts of the state. [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] had remained largely Republican until the 2016 and 2018 elections, in which a majority of the county's votes were cast for Democratic candidates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2016 Presidential General Election |url=http://www.ocvote.com/fileadmin/live/gen2016/results.htm |access-date=November 10, 2016 |website=Ocvote.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Thornton |first=Paul |date=November 10, 2018 |title=RIP Republican Orange County |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://latimes.com/la-ol-opinion-newsletter-midterm-election-20181110-htmlstory.html}}</ref> One study ranked [[Berkeley California|Berkeley]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]] and [[San Francisco]] in the top 20 most liberal American cities; and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]], [[Orange, California|Orange]], [[Escondido, California|Escondido]], [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove]], and [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] in the top 20 most conservative cities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2005 |title=Study Ranks America's Most Liberal and Conservative Cities |url=http://govpro.com/content/gov_imp_31439/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501140306/http://govpro.com/content/gov_imp_31439/index.html |archive-date=May 1, 2011 |access-date=February 20, 2011 |publisher=Bay Area Center for Voting Research}}</ref>

In October 2022, out of the 26,876,800 people eligible to vote, 21,940,274 people were registered to vote.<ref name="SoS2022GenVotRegStats">{{Cite web |date=October 24, 2022 |title=Voter Registration by County |url=https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/report-registration/15day-general-2022 |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Elections |publisher=California Secretary of State}}</ref> Of the people registered, the three largest registered groups were Democrats (10,283,258), Republicans (5,232,094), and [[Independent voter|No Party Preference]] (4,943,696).<ref name="SoS2022GenVotRegStats" />

California retains the [[Death penalty in California|death penalty]], though it has not been used since 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.npr.org/2023/01/13/1148846720/california-says-it-will-dismantle-death-row-the-move-brings-cheers-and-anger#:~:text=Technically%2C%20the%20death%20penalty%20still,the%20state%20in%2017%20years. | title = California says it will dismantle death row. The move brings cheers and anger | last = Westervelt | first = Eric | date = January 13, 2023 | website = npr.org | publisher = [[National Public Radio]] | access-date = August 5, 2023 }}</ref>

=== Twinned regions ===
California has [[City twinning|region twinning arrangements]] with:
*{{flagicon|Catalonia}} [[Catalonia]], autonomous community of {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Spain]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 71 |url=http://soir.senate.ca.gov/scr71 |publisher=Senate Office of International Relations}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Alberta}} [[Alberta]], province of {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]<ref name="Soir.senate.ca.gov">{{Cite web |title=California's Sister State Relationships &#124; Senate Office of International Relations |url=https://soir.senate.ca.gov/sisterstates |access-date=September 30, 2018 |publisher=Soir.senate.ca.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=California-Alberta Relations |url=http://economic.alberta.ca/documents/California-AB.pdf?0.8097911507356912 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929233318/http://economic.alberta.ca/documents/California-AB.pdf?0.8097911507356912 |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Jeju Province}} [[Jeju Province]] of {{flagicon|Republic of Korea}} [[South Korea]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACR 42 Assembly Concurrent Resolution - CHAPTERED |url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/acr_42_bill_20050718_chaptered.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |website=www.leginfo.ca.gov}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|China}} [[Guangdong]], province of {{flagicon|China}} [[China]]<ref>{{cite web |title=State of California and Guangdong Province Sister State Agreement |url=https://soir.senate.ca.gov/content/state-california-and-guangdong-province-sister-state-agreement |website=Senate Office of International Relations |access-date=October 27, 2023}}</ref>