University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
POLS 490CA | Supervised Individual Project—California Government
Academic year:

2024
Views:

349

Pages:

14
Author:

jabanna99e

California Government – Part I      Why is California Unique? Demographics Constitutional Structure Elections California Legislature Demographics People (2006) California USA Population Black persons American Native persons Asian persons Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Multiracial (self reported) Hispanic or Latino persons White non-Hispanic persons 36,457,549 6.70% 1.20% 12.40% 0.40% 2.40% 35.90% 43.10% 299,398,484 12.80% 1.00% 4.40% 0.20% 1.60% 14.80% 66.40% People (2006) California USA Foreign born persons Other than English at home Homeownership rate Multi-unit housing structures Median housing cost (2000) Persons per square mile 26.20% 39.50% 56.90% 31.40% $211,500 217.2 11.10% 17.90% 66.20% 26.40% $119,600 79.6 Political Culture  The percentage of people who choose to vote by mail (absentee ballots) in California has more than doubled in the past ten years.  In California, 42 percent of ballots cast for the 2006 election (a total of 3.7 million) were mailed in. By contrast, in the 1996 election, 20 percent of ballots were mailed in.  Some voting statistics  70 percent of California’s eligible voting population was registered as of September 2008.  Party Affiliations: 33 percent of registered voters are Republican. 44 percent are registered Democrats.  California first recorded party affiliations in 1922. At that time, registered Republicans outnumbered registered Democrats 3 to 1.  In 1934, the number of registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans for the first time. Since then, there have been more registered Democrats than Republicans.  Unaffiliated voters: 20 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated. Since 1992, % of unaffiliated registered voters has doubled. San Francisco has highest number of unaffiliated voters: 29%.  Although there are more total registered Democrats in the state, more counties have registered Republican majorities. The number of counties with registered Republican majorities have increased from 14 to 33 between 1992 and 2008.  Turnout: in the 2008 Presidential Election, 73.3% of Californians registered to vote turned out to vote. Compare this to the national turnout rate of 61.7%. The California Constitution  The California Constitution is a long document establishing rules and processes in much greater detail than the US Constitution.  Where the US Constitution has about 8000 words, California's Constitution is close to 40,000 words about 110 pages). Before substantial revisions between 1962 and 1974, the state Consitution was as large as 75,000 words (almost 200 pages).  The California Constitution is a function of Progressive Era reforms.  The Progressive Movement (1890s-1920s) emerged as a response to governmental corruption at the state level. In California the railroads were the dominant political actors -causing distrust of elected officials. The Progressive reforms to the state constitution minimized office holder discretion and allowed citizens direct access to creating state laws and even amending the state constitution.  Between 1911 and 1986 the const was amended over 500 times Direct Democracy  The Constitution allows three types of Direct Democracy – The Initiative The Recall The Referendum  The Initiative Anyone can put a proposed law or constitutional amendment directly to a vote of the people. To do so requires that the proponent collect signatures of valid registered voters in the state For a simple law, petitions must equal 5% of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election. For a Constitutional Amendment signatures must equal 8%.  The Recall Allows voters to remove an elected official from office before term ends. For statewide officers (e.g., Governor) petitioners must present signatures equaling 12% of last gubernatorial election with signatures from at least five counties. For Legislators and Judges must equal 20% E.g., Chief Justice Rose Bird – 1st woman on the CA Supreme Court, and 1st female chief justice. Recalled in 1986 as a result of her opposition to the death penalty. E.g., Governor Gray Davis recalled in 2003 due to state $$$.  The Referendum Allows voters to approve or reject statutes or amendments passed by the state legislature. Requires signatures equaling 5% of prior gubernatorial election. Infrequently used – only 8 between 1970-2008. Amendment vs. Revision  The state Constitution can be amended by a simple majority vote through the initiative process. Constitutional amendments are changes to one or more provisions of the document. Amendments are limited to non-substantial changes.  Substantial changes require a Constitutional Revision – which requires a two-thirds majority vote of both Houses of the Legislature and a majority vote of the people.  As reiterated in 1978, the court held that a revision referred to a “substantial alteration of the entire constitution, rather than to a less extensive change in one or more of its provisions." The California Legislature  Assembly 80 members – serve a two years  Senate 40 members – serve a four year term  Term Limits (Proposition 140, 1990) Assembly limited to 3 two year terms; Senate limited to 2 four year terms;

California Government – Part I

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