PS1
Dr. Durukan
CALIFORNIA POLITICS
HISTORY
- About 150, 000 Native Americans before the Europeans came (around 135 tribes). By 1900, only 16,000 remaining
- Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo was the first European to set sail to San Diego in 1543
- Then, the Spanish established settlements along the CA coastline which were linked by the mission system
- Mexican Rule (1821-1846)
- “The Bear Flag Revolt”, June 1846, a band of American settlers declared an independent “Republic of California”
- The U.S. declared war on Mexico in 1846
By 1847, U.S. troops had control of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California
The Treaty of Guadalupe, Feb. 2, 1848, ended the war and allowed the California Government to become a part of the USA
PEOPLE:
(38.6 million, 12.6% of US Population)
- White (Non-Hispanic): 42 %
- Hispanic: 37.1 %
- African American : 5.8 %
- Asian and other : 12.4 %
- Native: 0.6 %
- 70% of students are non-white
- Estimated 3 m. illegals
LAND:
- Third largest within the nation
- Can be divided into coastal and inland; or North and South
ECONOMY:
- Annual GNP : $1.8 trillion
- State Budget Deficit: $ 30 billion
- Unemployment: 12.4% (2010)
Economy:
- Post-industrial: Characterized by a large service sector (e.g. high technology, education, research, finance, insurance)
- Constant Change: Gold rush, expansion of railroads and government funded water projects secured agriculture; discovery of oil (1850); growth of manufacturing sector at the end of WWII; technological revolution laid the groundwork for the service-based economy
- Diversity: Pacific-Rim nation dependent on international investment and trade. Although 3% of the population is in agriculture, it is the producer of over 400 crops and ¼ of dairy products consumed nationally. Grapes and wine are also top products (2,843 wineries)
- Two-Tier: Top tier with highly educated, well-paid jobs in high-tech., knowledge-intensive business. (e.g. education, medicine, communication, law, finance, government, entertainment). Bottom tier with those working in low-paying, low-status jobs.
CA GOVERNMENT:
- Executive:
- Plural Executives
- Governor is the Chief-Executive with powers to
- Veto
- Appoint officials
- Grant pardons and reprieves
Elected Officers of the Executive Branch: Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State
2. Legislature:
State Assembly
- 80 members
- 2 year terms
- 3 term limit (Prop. 140 in 1990)
State Senate
- 40 members
- 4 year term
- 2 term limit
3. Judiciary:
Supreme Court
In San Francisco, 7 justices, death row cases automatically appealed to the Supreme court
Appellate Courts
There are 6; 12-year term
Superior Courts
Trial courts, have jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases, as well as small claims and traffic violations (58 of them); 6-year term
Direct Democracy in California
- Initiatives: Allow voters to place constitutional amendments or statutory proposals directly on the ballot (since 1911)
- Referendum: Allows voters to approve or reject statutes already passed by the legislature
- Recall: allows voters to remove elected officials between elections
