Hiram Johnson, a leader of the state's Progressive movement, was elected to serve as governor of the state in 1916
False
Review the following charts about public opinion, and then select the statement that best summarizes how Californians feel about the initiative process in their state.
(picture in phone)
A strong majority of Californians view the initiative process as a good thing but believe that it is in need of some change
The_____ is employed when voters are displeased with a law passed by the legislature, and the______ occurs whenever the legislature proposes a constitutional amendment.
popular referendum, legislative referendum
A legislative referendum must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the legislature before it appears on the ballot.
True
The first constitution of the state of California was ratified in which year?
1849
(Written by residents of the territory in anticipation of statehood and ratified in November 1849, this first governing document still contains many of the basic ideas underlying California's government today)
Which of the following were factors contributing to the decline of the Progressive Party after 1912?
Correct or incorrect
-The party did not support a number of reforms endorsed by labor
-The party's succeeded in winning the White House with Theodore Roosevelt as their candidate in 1912,
-The party was unified in its support for World War 1.
-The public grew tired of the large number of political reforms enacted by Progressives
Correct
-The public grew tired of the large number of political reforms by the Progressives.
-The party did not support a number of reforms endorsed by labor
Incorrect
-The party was unified in its support for World War 1
-The party's succeeded in winning the White House with Theodore Roosevelt as their candidate in 1912
In what year did woman obtain the right to vote in the state of California?
1911
(California was the sixth state in the country to grant women the right to vote, allowing women's suffrage before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.)
Which of the following companies held a monopoly over California's shipping industry and exerted tremendous political influence during the early 1900s?
Southern Pacific Railroad
(Southern Pacific Railroad's monopoly on the shipping industry provided it with undue influence economically and politically. During the early 1900s, it ruled the state to a degree previously unparalleled in the nation.)
Which of the following were factors driving the support of the 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis?
Correct or incorrect?
-Charges that Davis misled voters about the severity of the state's budget crisis during his 2002 re-election
campaign
-Davis's support for the implementation of the anti-immigrant Proposition 187
-Davis's support for Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage
-Claims that Davis was partially responsible for the state's electricity crisis
Correct
-Charges that Davis misled voters about the severity of the state's budget crisis during his 2002 re-election campaign
-Claims that Davis was partially responsible for the state's electricity crisis
Incorrect
-Davis's
support for Proposition 8's band on same sex marriage
-Davis's support for the implementation of the anti-immigrant Proposition 187
If you show up to vote on election day and receive a ballot in which the names of candidates are grouped under the titles of the offices to be filled, what type of ballot do you have?
an office block ballot
The 1996 California Constitutional Revision Commission made which of the following suggestions about reforming the state's government?
Correct or incorrect
-Shortening the term limits for state legislators
-Requiring that the governor and lieutenant governor run for election as a team
-Breaking apart the state's current tax administration agencies
-Allowing the governor to appoint all of the members of the executive branch that are currently elected separately
Correct
-Allowing
the governor to appoint all of the members of the executive branch that are currently elected separately
-requiring that the governor and lieutenant governor run for election as a team
Incorrect
-Breaking apart the state's current tax administration agencies
-Shortening the term limits for state legislators
Progressives in the state of California were strongly committed to combating racism and reducing anti-immigrant sentiment.
False
(Many Progressives were racists, believing Blacks and immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe to be genetically inferior to immigrants from Western Europe. Additionally, Progressives enacted a number of laws discriminating against Japanese Americans)
In 1849, California was admitted to the Union as a slave state.
False
(California was admitted in 1850 as a free state.)
Under current state law, initiatives can appear on primary, general, and special-election ballots.
False
(Although initiatives appeared on the primary, general, and special-election ballots between 1960 and 2012, the law was changed in 2012 to require that ballot initiatives appear only on the general election ballot in November.)
Study the following maps of state Senate districts in 1961, 2001, and 2016, and then determine which statements are accurate.
Picture in phone
correct or incorrect
-State Senate districts in 2001 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents
-The lines demarcating state Senate districts have remained fixed since 1911
-State Senate districts in 1961 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents
-State
Senate districts have, on average, grown to include larger and larger numbers of people over time
Correct
-State senate districts in 2001 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents
-State Senate districts have, on average, grown to include larger and larger numbers of people over time
Incorrect
-State Senate districts in 1961 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of
residents
-The lines demarcating state Senate districts have remained fixed since 1911
Same-sex marriage became legal in the state of California after which event?
the Supreme Court's decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry
(Same-sex marriage became legal in California after the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling that Proposition 8's supporters could not appeal a federal court's decision to strike down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional.)
Suppose you wanted to add language to California's constitution that guaranteed public financing of all statewide election campaigns. Which of the following would be required before this amendment could be made to the constitution?
Correct or incorrect
-A majority of voters in a statewide election would have to vote in favor of the amendment
-Two-thirds of both the state Assembly and state Senate would have to
vote in favor of the amendment
-The governor would have to endorse the amendment
-A constitutional convention would have to be convened and vote in favor of the amendment
Correct
-A majority of voters in a statewide election would have to vote in favor of the amendment
Incorrect
-Two-thirds of both the state Assembly and state Senate would have to vote in favor of the amendment
-A constitutional convention would have to be convened and
vote in favor of the amendment
-The governor would have to endorse the amendment
Approximately 20 percent of the initiatives that have qualified for the ballot have been approved by California voters since 1912.
False
(Although initiatives fail more often than they succeed, the overall passage rate is actually 36 percent (142 of the 397 initiatives placed on the ballot since 1912 were approved by the voters).
The 1879 Constitution included which of the following rules about the railroad industry?
Correct or incorrect
-The industry would be free to increase or decrease its rates for any reason as long as a report was filed with the Transportation Department
-A 25 percent sales tax would be added to the price of all railroad tickets
-State officials would be barred from riding for free on all railroad lines
-The industry
would be regulated by a special commission focused on railroads
Correct
-The industry would be regulated by a special commission focused on railroads
-State officials would be barred from riding for free on all railroad lines
Incorrect
-A 25 percent sales tax would be added to the price of all railroad tickets
-The industry would be free to increase or decrease its rates for any reason as long as a report was filed with the Transportation
Department
Which of the following were features of the 1849 California Constitution?
correct or incorrect
-All laws and other provisions were to be published into both English and SPanish
-Members of the judiciary were appointed by the governor and required approval by the state Senate before taking office
-African Americans were prohibited from testifying against whites in court
-White and Native American males over the age of
25 were given the right to vote
Correct
-All laws and other provisions were to be published in both English and Spanish
-African Americans were prohibited from testifying against whites in court
Incorrect
-Members of the judiciary were appointed by the governor and required approval by the state Senate before taking office
-White and Native American males over the age of 25 were given the right to vote.
Proposition 13 (1978) included which of the following provisions?
Correct or incorrect
-A requirement that all tax increases receive two-thirds support in the legislature
-A floor on the amount of money of money allocated to k-12 education each year in the state budget
-A reduction of residential property tax rates
-An increase in the state sales rate from 7.5 to 7.75 percent
Correct
-a reduction of resedential
property tax rates
-a requirement that all tax increases recieve two-thirds support in the legislature
incorrect
-An increase in the states sales tax rate from 7.5 to 7.75 percent
-A floor on the amount of money allocated to K-12 education each year in the state budget
Study the following chart on the number of initiatives in California, and then determine which statements are most accurate.
Picture in phone
Correct
-THe number of initiatives qualifying for the ballot more than doubled between the 1970s and 1980s
-During the 1950s, fewer initiatives were approved by voters than in any other decade
Incorrect
-More ballot initiatives were approved by voters between 2000 and 2009 than in any other decade
-Prior to the 1940s, the vast majority of initiatives that qualified for the ballot were approved by voters.
Which of the following were reforms successfully implemented by the Progressive movement of the early 1900s?
correct or incorrect
-Creating of a civil service in which government employees are selected on the basis of merit
-Beginning a system of public financing for all state legislative campaigns
-establishing a bicameral legislature
-instituting primary elections to select party candidates for the general election in November
Correct
-Creating
of a civil service in which government employees are selected on the basis of merit
-Instituting primary elections to select party candidates for the general election in November
Incorrect
-Beginning a system of public financing for all state legislative campaigns
-establishing a bicameral legislature
For statewide officials, the number of signatures to institute a recall must be equal to __________ of the last vote for the office. For other (non-statewide) officials, the number of signatures must be equal to______ of the last vote for the office.
12%,20%
All local public officials in the state of California are elected in partisan races (i.e., with a partisan label affixed to a candidate's name on the ballot).
False
(Of the more than 19,000 elected officials in California, fewer than 300 are now elected in partisan races.)
The U.S. Constitution is far more difficult to amend than California's constitution, requiring a _______ majority vote in the House and Senate followed by ratification by _______ of the states.
2/3, 3/4
The last successful initiative in California organized completely by volunteers was passed in 1984.
True
(Given California's size, initiatives cannot now be exercised on a statewide level without a great deal of money, organization, and professional help.)
Statutes require a number of signatures equivalent to ________ of voters in the last gubernatorial election in order to qualify for the ballot, while constitutional amendments require a number of signatures equivalent to _________ of voters in the last gubernatorial election to qualify.
5%, 8%
An initiative passed by a majority of voters has never been struck down by the California State Supreme Court.
False
(Many initiatives passed by state voters have been struck down by the California State Supreme Court. For example, Proposition 14 (1964), which nullified the Rumford Fair Housing Act, and Proposition 22 (2000), which outlawed same-sex marriage, were both overturned by the state's supreme court)
Which of the following organizations contributed the most money to initiative ballot committees in California between 2000 and 2018?
California Teachers Association contributed $159,281,213)
Place the following direct democratic procedures in order based on how commonly they have resulted in elections since 1912, from most commonly resulting in elections to least commonly resulting in elections.
Initiative, referendum, recall of a state legislator, recall of a governor
The 1849 Constitution had which of the following problematic features?
Correct or incorrect
-It included so many different limitations on spending that the government could not adequately address any of the state's problems
-There
were no limits on legislative salaries
-There were no limits on the governor's power to pardon people for state crimes
-It included so many different forms of taxation that corporations and individuals were leaving the state out of economic necessity
Correct
-There were no limits on legislative salaries
-There were no limits on the governor's power to pardon people for state crimes
Incorrect
-It included so many different limitations on
spending that the government could not adequatelty address any of the state's problems
-It included so many different forms of taxation that corporations and individuals were leaving the state out of economic necessity
Which of the following was a position of the Workingmen's Party in California during the 1870s?
Opposition to the presence of chinese workers in California
The "Declaration of Rights" refers to which of the following?
The bill of rights found in the state of Californias's constitution
While California's constitution includes many ordinary laws, the U.S. Constitution's _________ Amendment concerning the prohibition on alcohol sales was the only experiment in U.S. constitutional history establishing a substantive policy, and it was quickly repealed by the ______ Amendment.
18th, 21st
Unlike the federal Constitution, the state of California's constitution contains no protections for freedom of the press.
False
Article XIX of the 1879 Constitution banned private and public employment of Chinese workers in the state of California.
True
(The laws enacting this provision were swiftly struck down in federal courts, which ruled they violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection, infringed on rights due to Chinese immigrants under treaty, and trampled upon corporate rights. Voters formally repealed Article XIX in 1952.)