Editing Government of California

{{short description|Governmental structure of the U.S. state of California}}
{{Infobox political system|name=Government of California|image=Great Seal of the State of California Colored.svg|image_size=160px|caption=[[Great Seal of the State of California]]|type=[[Presidential system|Presidential republic]] <br> [[Federated state]]|constitution=[[Constitution of California]]|legislature=[[California State Legislature|Legislature]]|legislature_type=[[Bicameral]]|legislature_place=[[California State Capitol]]|upperhouse=[[California State Senate|Senate]]|upperhouse_speaker=[[Eleni Kounalakis]]|upperhouse_speaker_title=[[Lieutenant Governor of California|President]]|lowerhouse=[[California State Assembly|Assembly]]|lowerhouse_speaker=[[Robert A. Rivas]]|lowerhouse_speaker_title=[[Speaker of the California State Assembly|Speaker]]|title_hosag=[[Governor of California|Governor]]|current_hosag=[[Gavin Newsom]]|appointer_hosag=[[Election]]|cabinet=[[California executive branch|Cabinet of California]]|cabinet_leader=Governor|cabinet_hq=California State Capitol|judiciary=[[Judiciary of California|Judiciary of California]]|courts=[[Courts of California]]|chief_judge=[[Patricia Guerrero]]|court_seat=[[Earl Warren Building]], [[San Francisco]]|court=[[Supreme Court of California]]|cabinet_deputyleader=[[Lieutenant Governor of California|Lieutenant Governor]]}}{{Politics of California}}

The '''government of California''' is the governmental structure of the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]] as established by the [[Constitution of California|California Constitution]]. California uses the [[separation of powers]] system to structure its government. It is composed of three [[separation of powers|branches]]: the executive, consisting of the [[governor of California]] and the other constitutionally elected and appointed officers and offices; the legislative, consisting of the [[California State Legislature]], which includes the [[California State Assembly|Assembly]] and the [[California State Senate|Senate]]; and the judicial, consisting of the [[Supreme Court of California]] and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of [[County (United States)|counties]], cities, [[Special district (United_States)|special districts]], and [[School_district|school districts]], as well as government entities and offices that operate independently on a [[Constitutional law of the United States|constitutional]], [[Statutory law|statutory]], or [[common law]] basis. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by [[Popular initiative|initiative]], [[referendum]], [[recall election|recall]] and [[ratification]].

==Executive branch==
{{Main|California executive branch}}
California's elected executive officers are:

<gallery mode="nolines">
File:Gavin Newsom by Gage Skidmore.jpg|'''[[Gavin Newsom]] (D)''' <br /> [[Governor of California|Governor]]
File:Eleni Kounalakis in 2021.jpg|'''[[Eleni Kounalakis]] (D)'''  <br /> [[Lieutenant Governor of California|Lieutenant Governor]]
File:Shirley Weber.jpg|'''[[Shirley Weber]] (D)''' <br /> [[Secretary of State of California|Secretary of State]]
File:AG Rob Bonta official (cropped).jpg|'''[[Rob Bonta]] (D)''' <br /> [[California Attorney General|Attorney General]]
File:Fiona Ma official1.jpg|'''[[Fiona Ma]] (D)''' <br /> [[California State Treasurer|State Treasurer]]
File:SupervisorMaliaCohen.jpg|'''[[Malia Cohen]] (D)''' <br /> [[California State Controller|State Controller]]
File:Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (cropped).jpg|'''[[Tony Thurmond]] (D)''' <br /> [[California State Superintendent of Public Instruction|State Superintendent of Public Instruction]]
File:Ricardo Lara official portrait (cropped).png|'''[[Ricardo Lara]] (D)''' <br /> [[California Insurance Commissioner|Insurance Commissioner]]
</gallery>
[[File: Stanford_Mansion_(Sacramento,_California).jpg|thumb|right|[[Leland Stanford Mansion|Stanford Mansion]] is the official reception center for the California government and one of the workplaces of the [[governor of California]].]]
All offices are elected separately to concurrent four-year terms, and each officer may be elected to an office a maximum of two times.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jerry Brown defies intent of California term limits|first=Joe|last=Alfieri|date=18 October 2010|work=Contra Costa County Conservative Examiner|publisher=[[Examiner.com]]}}</ref><ref>Constitution of California, article 5, section 2</ref> The governor has the powers and responsibilities to: [[signature|sign]] or [[veto]] [[law]]s passed by the [[Legislature]], including a [[line item veto]]; appoint judges, subject to [[ratification]] by the [[Constituency|electorate]]; propose a [[state budget]]; give the annual [[State of the State address]]; command the state [[militia]]; and grant [[pardon]]s for any crime, except cases involving [[Impeachment in California|impeachment by the Legislature]].<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Roles, Functions, and Powers of the Governors|title=The Executive Branch of State Government: People, Process and Politics|editor-first=Margaret R.|editor-last=Ferguson|year=2006|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|chapter-url=http://governors.rutgers.edu/usgov/gov_intro_chpt2.php|access-date=2014-03-13|archive-date=2013-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060049/http://governors.rutgers.edu/usgov/gov_intro_chpt2.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The lieutenant governor is the president of the California Senate and acts as the governor when the governor is unable to execute the office, including whenever the governor leaves the state.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=In re Governorship|vol=26 |reporter=Cal.3d |opinion=110 |pinpoint=401 |court=Supreme Court of California |date=1979 |url=http://login.findlaw.com/scripts/callaw?dest=ca/cal3d/26/110.html |quote=we conclude that the Lieutenant Governor has authority to exercise all gubernatorial powers of appointment while the Governor is physically absent from the state and that the Governor has authority to withdraw the appointment until the confirmation of appointment becomes effective.}}</ref> The governor and lieutenant governor also serve as ''[[ex officio]]'' members of the [[University of California]] [[Board of Regents]] and of the [[California State University]] Board of Trustees.<ref>{{cite web|title=Overview, Board of Trustees|url=http://www.calstate.edu/bot/overview.shtml|publisher=[[California State University]]|access-date=15 June 2011|archive-date=1 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201220238/http://www.calstate.edu/bot/overview.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> Regulatory activity is published in the ''[[California Regulatory Notice Register]]'' and the general and permanent rules and regulations are codified in the ''[[California Code of Regulations]]''.<ref>{{cite book | title= Concise Legal Research | first1= Robert | last1= Watt | first2= Francis | last2= Johns | publisher= Federation Press | year= 2009 | page= 223 | isbn= 978-1-862-87723-8 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EqpxHgFtrt4C&pg=PA223}}</ref>

=== State agencies ===
{{See also|List of California state agencies}}
[[File:Ziggurat Building.jpg|thumb|[[California Department of General Services]]]]
[[File:California Department of Health Care Services 4.jpg|thumb|[[California Department of Health Care Services]]]]
[[File:Cal EPA Building (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[California Environmental Protection Agency]]]]
State government is organized into many departments, of which most have been grouped together into several huge Cabinet-level agencies since the administration of Governor [[Pat Brown]]. These agencies are sometimes informally referred to as ''superagencies'', especially by government officials, to distinguish them from the general usage of the term "government agency".<ref name="Van Vechten">{{cite book |last1=Van Vechten |first1=Renée B. |title=California Politics: A Primer |date=2011 |publisher=SAGE |location=Los Angeles |isbn=9781452203065 |page=63 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tatzWQscKmcC&pg=PA63 |access-date=25 February 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=9781538129302|page=167 |edition=10th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwmkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167}}</ref> When Brown took office, he was dismayed to discover that under [[Law of California|California law]], approximately 360 boards, commissions, and agencies all reported directly to the governor, and proposed his "super-agency" plan (then spelled with a hyphen) in February 1961 to impose order on such chaos.<ref name="Blanchard">{{cite news |last1=Blanchard |first1=Robert |title=Brown Criticized for His Super-Agency Proposal |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 14, 1961 |page=1}}  Available through [[ProQuest]] Historical Newspapers.</ref> Brown appointed the secretaries of the first four superagencies (of eight then planned) in September 1961.<ref name="Gillam">{{cite news |last1=Gillam |first1=Jerry |title=Brown Picks 8-Member Cabinet: Four Named to Head New State Super-Agencies |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 1, 1961 |page=1}} Available through [[ProQuest]] Historical Newspapers.</ref> 

The superagencies operate as "umbrella organizations"<ref name="Van Vechten" /> or "semiautonomous fiefdoms," but their Cabinet-level secretaries are not quite as powerful as they may appear at first glance.<ref name="Lawrence_Page_168">{{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=9781538129302|page=168 |edition=10th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwmkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA168}}</ref> The governor continues to directly appoint the leaders of superagency components.  The appointments are announced by the governor rather than by the secretaries, who are merely a layer of management installed to ensure that the components of their respective superagencies can stay outside of the governor's "routine attention span" (unless something goes wrong).<ref name="Lawrence_Page_168" />  Today, the Cabinet-level agencies (superagencies) are the:<ref>{{cite web|title=Governor Brown's Government Reorganization Plan Becomes Law|publisher=Office of the [[Governor of California]]|url=http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17617|date=3 July 2012|access-date=26 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018073028/http://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17617|archive-date=18 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* [[California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency]] (BCSH)
* [[California Government Operations Agency]] (CalGovOps)
* [[California Environmental Protection Agency]] (CalEPA)
* [[California Health and Human Services Agency]] (CalHHS)
* [[California Labor and Workforce Development Agency]] (LWDA)
* [[California Natural Resources Agency]] (CNRA)
* [[California State Transportation Agency]] (CalSTA)

The independently elected officers run separate departments not grouped within the superagencies, and there are other Cabinet-level departments:

* [[California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation|Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation]] (CDCR)
* [[California Department of Education|Department of Education]] (CDE)
* [[California Department of Finance|Department of Finance]] (DOF)
* [[California Department of Food and Agriculture|Department of Food and Agriculture]] (CDFA)
* [[California Department of Insurance|Department of Insurance]] (CDI)
* [[California Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (DOJ)
* [[California Military Department|Military Department]]

=== Independent entities ===
Most (but not all) of the leaders of these entities are normally appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Despite their independence, the governor can exert influence on them over time by waiting for incumbent leaders to reach the ends of their terms and appointing new ones who support the governor's current agenda.<ref name="ClarkKerr_Page301">{{cite book|last1=Kerr|first1=Clark|title=The Gold and the Blue: A Personal Memoir of the University of California, 1949-1967, Volume 2|date=2001|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520925014|page=301|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SuQlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA301|access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>

Examples include the:

*[[Regents of the University of California]]
*[[California State University|California State University Board of Trustees]]
*[[California Community Colleges|California Community Colleges Board of Governors]]
*[[California Public Utilities Commission]]
*[[California State Auditor]]
*[[California Fair Political Practices Commission|Fair Political Practices Commission]]

==Legislative branch==
[[File:Sacramento,-California---State-Capitol.jpg|thumb|left|The [[California State Capitol]] hosts the [[California Assembly]] and the [[California Senate]], the two houses of the California State Legislature.]]
{{Main|California State Legislature}}
The California State Legislature is the state legislature. It is a [[bicameral]] body consisting of the [[California State Assembly]], the lower house with 80 members, and the [[California State Senate]], the upper house with 40 members.<ref name="leg_members_and_term_limits_first_m_dec">[[Constitution of California]], article 4, section 2(a)</ref> Members of the Assembly serve two-year terms; members of the Senate serve four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election on alternate (two year) election cycles.<ref name="leg_members_and_term_limits_first_m_dec" />

The [[speaker of the California State Assembly]] presides over the State Assembly. The [[Lieutenant Governor of California|lieutenant governor]] is the ''ex officio'' president of the Senate and may break a tied vote, and the [[president pro tempore of the California State Senate]] is elected by the majority party caucus. 

The Legislature meets in the [[California State Capitol]] in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]. Its [[session laws]] are published in the [[California Statutes]] and codified into the 29 [[California Codes]].

==Judicial branch==
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Supremecourtofcaliforniamaincourthouse.jpg
| image2            = Stanleymosklibraryandcourtsbldg.jpg
| footer            = The Supreme Court of California is headquartered in San Francisco (top), but also hears oral argument each year at Sacramento (bottom) and Los Angeles.
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{{main|Judiciary of California}}
{{see also|Supreme Court of California|Judicial Council of California|California Superior Courts|California Courts of Appeal}}
The judiciary of California interprets and applies the law, and is defined under the Constitution, law, and regulations. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the Supreme Court at the apex. The superior courts are the primary trial courts, and the courts of appeal are the primary appellate courts. 

The Judicial Council is the rule-making arm of the judiciary.<ref>[[Constitution of California]], Article 6, Section 6(d)</ref><ref name="council">{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.ca.gov/policyadmin-jc.htm|title=Judicial Council|publisher=[[Judicial Council of California]]}}</ref>

The California Supreme Court consists of the [[Chief Justice of California|chief justice of California]] and six associate justices. The court has [[original jurisdiction]] in a variety of cases, including [[habeas corpus]] proceedings, and has discretionary authority to review all the decisions of the California courts of appeal, as well as mandatory review responsibility for cases where the [[death penalty]] has been imposed. The courts of appeal are the [[Appellate court|intermediate appellate courts]]. The state is geographically divided into six appellate districts.<ref>[[Constitution of California]], Article 6, § 3</ref><ref>[[California Government Code]] § 69100</ref> Notably, all published California appellate decisions are binding on all superior courts, regardless of appellate district.<ref>''Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court,'', [http://online.ceb.com/calcases/C2/57C2d450.htm 57 Cal. 2d 450, 369 P.2d 937, 20 Cal. Rptr. 321] (1962).</ref>

The California superior courts are the courts of [[general jurisdiction]] that hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard before some other court or governmental agency. As mandated by the Constitution, each of the 58 counties has a superior court.<ref>[[Constitution of California]], Article 6, § 4</ref> The superior courts also have appellate divisions (superior court judges sitting as appellate judges) which hear appeals from decisions of other superior court judges (or commissioners, or judges pro tem) in cases previously heard by inferior courts, such as [[infraction]]s, [[misdemeanor]]s, and "limited civil" actions (actions where the [[amount in controversy]] is below $25,000).

==Direct democracy==
{{Main|Propositions in California}}
The state constitution allows [[direct democracy|direct participation]] of the electorate by [[Popular initiative|initiative]], [[referendum]], and [[recall election|recall]].

== Watchdog evaluations ==
In a 2015 review by the nonprofit [[Center for Public Integrity]] of how effectively states promote transparency and procedures to reduce corruption, California received a C−, the second-highest grade in the country.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/11/09/18342/california-gets-c-grade-2015-state-integrity-investigation|title=California gets C- grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation|date=2015-11-09|website=Center for Public Integrity|access-date=2016-12-05}}</ref> It ranked particularly low in public [[access to information]] and judicial transparency.<ref name=":0" />

In 2005, [[Pew Research Center]]'s Government Performance Project gave California a grade C−, tied for last with Alabama.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.seiu1000.org/article/state-civil-service-reform-californias-human-resource-modernization-project-comparative|title=State civil service reform: California's Human Resource Modernization project in a comparative perspective - SEIU Local 1000|website=www.seiu1000.org|access-date=2016-12-04|archive-date=2016-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220050444/http://www.seiu1000.org/article/state-civil-service-reform-californias-human-resource-modernization-project-comparative|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 2008, when the last report was issued, California had a C, which placed it near the bottom of the states.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncsl.org/print/nlpes/NJohnson0908.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221051705/http://www.ncsl.org/print/nlpes/NJohnson0908.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 21, 2016|title=NLPES/NALFO Seminar Madison, Wisconsin September 26, 2008|last=Johnson|first=Neal|publisher=Pew Center on States}}</ref> In discussing the results, the report noted that the personnel system is known to be dysfunctional, and that the Human Resources Modernization Project was underway to address the issue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases/2008/03/02/grading-the-states-2008-pewand39s-50state-report-card-evaluates-how-states-manage-public-resources|title=Grading the States 2008: Pew's 50-State Report Card Evaluates How States Manage Public Resources|website=www.pewtrusts.org|access-date=2016-12-05}}</ref>

==Local government==
{{Main|Local government in California}}
California is divided into counties which are legal subdivisions of the state.<ref>[[Constitution of California]], article 11, section 1</ref> There are 58 counties, 482 California cities,<ref>{{cite web|title=Learn About Cities|publisher=[[League of California Cities]]|access-date=13 March 2014|url=http://www.cacities.org/Resources/Learn-About-Cities|archive-date=21 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021140601/http://www.cacities.org/Resources/Learn-About-Cities|url-status=dead}}</ref> about 1,102 school districts,<ref name=Census2012p25>{{citation|title=Individual State Descriptions: 2007|pages=25–26|series=2007 Census of Governments|date=November 2012|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/isd_book.pdf|ref={{harvid|Census|2007}}}}</ref> and about 3,400 [[special-purpose district|special districts]].<ref>{{cite book|title=What's So Special About Special Districts? A Citizen's Guide to Special Districts in California|first1=Kimia|last1=Mizany|first2=April|last2=Manatt|publisher=California Senate Local Government Committee|edition=3|url=http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/vol4/vol4-background-whatssospecialaboutspecialdistricts.pdf|access-date=2008-12-09|archive-date=2011-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704180433/http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/vol4/vol4-background-whatssospecialaboutspecialdistricts.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Counties and incorporated cities may promulgate [[local ordinance]]s, which are usually codified in county or city codes, respectively, and are [[misdemeanor]] crimes unless otherwise specified as [[infraction]]s.<ref>[[California Government Code]] §§ 25132, 36900 ''et seq.''</ref> [[School district]]s, which are independent of cities and counties, handle public education.<ref name=Census2012p25/> Special Districts deliver specific public programs and public facilities to constituents, and are defined as "any agency of the state for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries".<ref>[[California Government Code]] § 16271(d)</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="City halls in California" heights="100px">
File:Sacramento City Hall - panoramio (cropped).jpg|[[Sacramento City Hall]]
File:Sanjosecityhall (cropped).jpg|[[San José City Hall]]
File:San_Francisco_City_Hall_2.JPG|[[San Francisco City Hall]]
File:Los Angeles City Hall 01 (cropped).jpg|[[Los Angeles City Hall]]
File:Pasadena_City_Hall_David_Wakely_(cropped).jpg|[[Pasadena City Hall]]
File:Oakland City Hall.jpg|[[Oakland City Hall]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Politics of California]]
* [[Elections in California]]
* [[Law of California]]
{{Portal bar|California|Politics}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ca.gov/ CA.GOV]
* [http://www.legislature.ca.gov/ California State Legislature]
* [http://www.courts.ca.gov/ California courts]
* [https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/54cbc48e-bfef-fc4b-dbd1-8317743c8191-P State of California] on [[USAspending.gov]]

{{California}}
{{California topic|Government of}}
{{Governments of the United States}}

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[[Category:Government of California| ]]
[[Category:State governments of the United States|California]]