Which of the following are important limits on the governors power in the state of California quizlet?

- Cabinet Departments: There are currently fifteen cabinet departments in the federal government. Cabinet departments are major executive offices that are directly accountable to the president. They include the Departments of State, Defense, Education, Treasury, and several others. Each cabinet department has a head called a secretary, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. These secretaries report directly to the president, and they oversee a huge network of offices and agencies that make up the department. They also work in different capacities to achieve each department's mission-oriented functions.

- Independent Executives Agencies and Regulatory Agencies: Like cabinet departments, independent executive agencies report directly to the president, with heads appointed by the president. Unlike the larger cabinet departments, however, independent agencies are assigned far more focused tasks. These agencies are considered independent because they are not subject to the regulatory authority of any specific department. They perform vital functions and are a major part of the bureaucratic landscape of the United States. Some prominent independent agencies are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which collects and manages intelligence vital to national interests, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), charged with developing technological innovation for the purposes of space exploration, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which enforces laws aimed at protecting environmental sustainability. An important subset of the independent agency category is the regulatory agency. Regulatory agencies emerged in the late nineteenth century as a product of the progressive push to control the benefits and costs of industrialization. The first regulatory agency was the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), charged with regulating that most identifiable and prominent symbol of nineteenth-century industrialism, the railroad.

- Government Corporations: Agencies formed by the federal government to administer a quasi-business enterprise are called government corporations. They exist because the services they provide are partly subject to market forces and tend to generate enough profit to be self-sustaining, but they also fulfill a vital service the government has an interest in maintaining. Unlike a private corporation, a government corporation does not have stockholders. Instead, it has a board of directors and managers. This distinction is important because whereas a private corporation's profits are distributed as dividends, a government corporation's profits are dedicated to perpetuating the enterprise. Unlike private businesses, which pay taxes to the federal government on their profits, government corporations are exempt from taxes. The most widely used government corporation is the U.S. Postal Service.

The governor of California has a series of formal powers granted under the state constitution as well as informal powers. Classify each of the following powers as belonging to the governor's formal or informal powers.

- serving as commander in chief of the National Guard
- raising money for political campaigns
- granting of clemency, including pardons and reprieves
- making recommendations to the legislature during a State of the State address

Informal Powers:
- raising money for political campaigns
Formal Powers:
-granting of clemency, including pardons and reprieves
-making recommendations to the legislature during a State of the State address
-serving as commander in chief of the National Guard

Which of the following statements about the Board of Equalization (BOE) is accurate?

- The BOE was created by Proposition 13 in 1978.
- The BOE was stripped of most of its power in 2017.
- The BOE is composed of five members appointed by the governor.
- The insurance commissioner is a member of the BOE.

The BOE was stripped of most of its power in 2017.

(A set of reforms enacted in 2017 stripped the BOE of much of its power and moved it to two new unelected entities: the Department of Tax and Fee Administration and the Office of Tax Appeals. Of the 4,800 BOE employees, 4,400 were transferred to the new organizations, leaving a much smaller BOE that retains only a few tax administration responsibilities.)

What is the only position within the state's plural executive created through the initiative process?

- the lieutenant governor
- the insurance commissioner
- the controller
- the superintendent of public instruction

the insurance commissioner

(The insurance commissioner's office was made elective by Proposition 103 in 1988.)

Which of the following statements about the budget process in the state of California are accurate?

- A supermajority of two-thirds is required to raise new revenues.
- The California Constitution gives the power of preparing the budget to the governor, not the legislature.
- A supermajority of two-thirds is required to approve a budget.
- The governor has the power to add line items to the budget after it has been passed by the legislature.

Correct Answers:
-A supermajority of two-thirds is required to raise new revenues.
-The California Constitution gives the power of preparing the budget to the governor, not the legislature.

Incorrect Answers:
-The governor has the power to add line items to the budget after it has been passed by the legislature.
-A supermajority of two-thirds is required to approve a budget.

T/F: Since 1967, governors in the state of California have vetoed approximately half of the bills passed by the legislature.

False

(Governors have vetoed only about 13 percent of legislative bills since 1967. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed about 26 percent of the bills that came to him, while Governor Brown vetoed 12.9 percent of the bills sent to him from 2011 to 2015.)

T/F: The governor of California is able to appoint members to various boards, such as the Regents of the University of California. This appointment power gives the governor complete control over the board.

False

(The Regents of the University of California is a 26-member board consisting of 7 ex officio members (including the governor), 1 student, and 18 members appointed by the governor for 12-year terms—terms that are longer than the governor's. While the governor has significant impact, he or she does not have complete control.)

The controller and treasurer of California both have important roles related to the state's financial resources. Label each of the following duties as the responsibility of either the controller or the treasurer.

- audits government agencies that spend state funds
- manages the sale of state bonds
- serves as chairperson of the Board of Equalization
- administers the payroll system for state government employees

Treasurer:
-manages the sale of state bonds

Controller:
-serves as chairperson of the Board of Equalization
-administers the payroll system for state government employees
-audits government agencies that spend state funds

Identify which of the following statements about gubernatorial appointments are accurate.

- All gubernatorial appointments must answer directly to the governor after taking office.
- All gubernatorial appointments must be confirmed by a majority of the state Senate.
- All gubernatorial appointments serve in office for fixed-length terms.
- Over the course of an administration, a governor can make more than 2,500 appointments to the state government.

Correct Answers:
-Over the course of an administration, a governor can make more than 2,500 appointments to the state government.

Incorrect Answers:
-All gubernatorial appointments must answer directly to the governor after taking office.
-All gubernatorial appointments serve in office for fixed-length terms.
-All gubernatorial appointments must be confirmed by a majority of the state Senate.

Which of the following are important limits on the governor's power in the state of California?

- The state's constitution allows the governor to reduce monetary appropriations in bills passed by the legislature, but he or she cannot veto bills in their entirety.
- There are many state-level organizations that cannot be directly controlled by the governor.
- The executive branch includes several independently elected officials who may be from the opposing party of the governor.
- The governor must run for re-election every two years and can only serve three terms in office.

Correct Answers:
-The executive branch includes several independently elected officials who may be from the opposing party of the governor.
-There are many state-level organizations that cannot be directly controlled by the governor.
Incorrect Answers:
-The state's constitution allows the governor to reduce monetary appropriations in bills passed by the legislature, but he or she cannot veto bills in their entirety.
-The governor must run for re-election every two years and can only serve three terms in office.

Study the chart comparing gubernatorial powers across state governments, and then identify whether or not each gubernatorial power in question is used in a majority of states.

- line-item veto for nonappropriations bills
- line-item veto for appropriations bills
- unlimited terms in office
- full or shared budget-making authority

Most states give the governor this power:
-full or shared budget-making authority
-line-item veto for appropriations bills

Most states do not give the governor this power:
- line-item veto for nonappropriations bills
- unlimited terms in office

What are state executive branch organizations that have their own statutory authority to carry out functions and provide services often called?

- nonpartisan agencies
- superagencies
- staff agencies
- line agencies

Line Agencies

(The governor often has less autonomy in appointing the heads of line agencies. Someone with expertise in the area needs to be appointed, and sometimes the qualifications are spelled out in law.)

T/F: The state constitution gives the cabinet a number of policy-making responsibilities, including amending the governor's proposed budget and reviewing all line-item vetoes.

False

(The cabinet is often more a symbolic body than a structure of governing, and it has no official policy function under the state constitution. It can, however, be used to help formulate policy if the governor sees fit.)

Some observers of the 2018 gubernatorial campaign accused Gavin Newsom of running advertisements before the June primary election that encouraged turnout in favor of Republican candidate John Cox.

Why might these accusations make sense in the context of the state's electoral politics?

- The state's Democratic voting tendencies and its top two vote-getter system create incentives for Democratic frontrunners to bolster Republican candidates in the June primary.
- Newsom believed he might lose to Cox in the November election and was hoping to receive an appointment to the lieutenant governorship by currying favor with Cox during the primary.
- Newsom has long been known as a political moderate, and he was seeking to build goodwill with Republicans in the state legislature by offering some support to Cox's candidacy.
- The state legislature enacted a "fairness doctrine" for political campaigning in 2018 that required all candidates to encourage voters of the opposite political party to vote in elections.

The state's Democratic voting tendencies and its top two vote-getter system create incentives for Democratic frontrunners to bolster Republican candidates in the June primary.

(Given that a Democratic candidate will likely win a statewide election against a Republican, Democratic frontrunners often want the second-place vote getter in the primary to be a Republican. Newsom, therefore, may have attempted to ensure that Cox received more votes in the primary than fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa (who might have defeated Newsom in the November runoff)

Proposition 25, which removed the two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget, and Proposition 11, which took the power to draw the state legislative districts away from the legislature and gave it to a citizens' commission, had which of the following effects?

- They forced the state to address many of its unfunded liabilities in the future.
- They weakened the governor's ability to lead the state.
- They strengthened the governor's ability to lead the state.
- They stabilized the state's revenue streams.

They strengthened the governor's ability to lead the state.

( These propositions have reduced the need for cooperation between the parties and increased the size of Democratic legislative majorities. As a result, Governor Brown has been able to ignore Republican legislators and work out deals with the more accommodating Democrats.)

Which statement best characterizes the impact that California's unique plural elected executive has on its politics?

- The plural elected executive greatly limits the governor's freedom to make and implement state policy.
- The plural elected executive greatly enhances the governor's freedom to make and implement state policy.
- The plural elected executive requires that California conduct an excessively large number of elections and subjects Californians to a "permanent campaign."
- The plural elected executive is mostly a symbolic feature of state government and has almost no effect on California's politics.

The plural elected executive greatly limits the governor's freedom to make and implement state policy.

( The state's plural executive means that there are eight elected independent bases of power that do not report to the governor or need to adhere to gubernatorial wishes. This limits the governor's freedom to make and implement policy.)

T/F: Jerry Brown served a total of 12 years as governor of the state of California.

False

(Jerry Brown actually served 16 years as governor. He was governor from 1975 to 1983 and from 2011 to 2019.)

Which of the following statements about the line-item veto are accurate?

- The line-item veto permits the governor to increase any appropriation in a spending bill.
- Both the president of the United States and the governor of the state of California have the power of the line-item veto.
- The line-item veto permits the governor to reduce or delete any appropriation in a spending bill.
- For the first time in over three decades, the line-item veto was not used by the governor in 2016.

Correct Answers:
-The line-item veto permits the governor to reduce or delete any appropriation in a spending bill.
-For the first time in over three decades, the line-item veto was not used by the governor in 2016.
Incorrect Answers:
-Both the president of the United States and the governor of the state of California have the power of the line-item veto.
-The line-item veto permits the governor to increase any appropriation in a spending bill.

Identify which of the following are responsibilities of the attorney general of California.

- The attorney general defends the state in lawsuits.
- The attorney general makes appointments to fill vacancies at the superior court level.
- The attorney general is in charge of licensing lawyers to practice law and investigating complaints of professional misconduct against lawyers.
- The attorney general has oversight responsibilities for local district attorneys and county sheriffs.

Correct Answers:
-The attorney general defends the state in lawsuits.
-The attorney general has oversight responsibilities for local district attorneys and county sheriffs.

Incorrect Answers:
-The attorney general is in charge of licensing lawyers to practice law and investigating complaints of professional misconduct against lawyers.
-The attorney general makes appointments to fill vacancies at the superior court level.

Which of the following statements about the legislative powers and responsibilities of the governor is accurate?

- The governor's veto may be overturned by a simple majority vote in the Assembly and in the Senate.
- The governor is required by the state's constitution to deliver a State of the State address to the legislature at the start of every legislative session.
- The governor has the power to introduce bills to the legislature.
- The governor presides over the state Senate and casts tie-breaking votes if needed.

The governor is required by the state's constitution to deliver a State of the State address to the legislature at the start of every legislative session.

( The state's constitution requires the governor to present a State of the State address to the legislature at the beginning of a legislative session. This speech may be short or long, general or specific. Unlike the president's State of the Union address, it is normally not covered in detail by the media.)

T/F: The legislature enacted a large increase in gasoline taxes in 2017 with majority support among both Republican and Democratic members of the Assembly and Senate.

False

(The legislature enacted the increase in gasoline taxes without any Republican support in the state Assembly and with only one Republican yes vote in the state Senate. The gas tax went on to survive an attempted repeal by statewide initiative on the November 2018 ballot, which voters rejected by a 55-45 percent margin.)

What are the powers of the California governor?

What are the executive powers of the California governor quizlet?

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